Unexpected Redux
by JM9
Summary: Trip gets pregnant again after the events of Terra Prime. T'Pol supports him. Spoilers: Demons, Terra Prime,COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Paramount invented the characters and the original storyline, I just went and played with it a bit.  
Genre: Friendship/Angst  
Date: 05/31/05  
Ok to archive

Thank you to my beta – Peter Simon

Summary and Author's Note: This was originally supposed to be just a general friendship fluff fan fiction piece, hence the subject matter – Trip getting pregnant again, but after "Terra Prime" I thought it would be a good idea to make it into a Trip/T'Pol one. Dramatic events like losing a child can either tear a couple apart or bring them closer together. I thought it would be good to do both in this story, having them torn apart from losing Elizabeth, but also bringing them together even stronger by having T'Pol support and help Trip deal with this new pregnancy. The child represents hope for her home world and as Trip's pregnancy progresses, the idea grows on her that it could apply to a child of theirs also.

Chapter One

Six months had gone past since the death of their child; and regrettably, it seemed like Trip and T'Pol's relationship had ended the same way as well. At first, T'Pol had accepted Trip's support and help in dealing with her emotions of grief, but pretty soon she closed herself off and withdrew unto herself. Trip initially wasn't surprised by her reaction. This had always been T'Pol's way of dealing with raw emotions she couldn't handle; she locked them away and acting as if the incident had never happened in her portrayal of a typical, cold hearted, non-emotional Vulcan manner.

Seeing her like this hurt Trip. He knew from their shared bond that T'Pol was suffering just as much as he was, and he had hoped that she'd let him help her deal with her grief, but her constant brush offs, closed off aloofness, and her reluctance to even speak with him was driving him to distraction. Deciding that he wasn't going to stand for it anymore, Trip cornered T'Pol into a confrontation on where they were headed 'as a couple'. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn't to his liking: T'Pol explained that she just couldn't handle a relationship with him at this moment in time, because when she looked at him all the emotions of what they had lost just kept filtering back. She said she needed time. Trip didn't want to see her hurting and in pain like this, so he reluctantly agreed to give her the space she needed.

Six months later they had at least been able to gain back a good professional working relationship, although the distance was still very much between them. On the outside they were still good friends, but on the inside they were like two lost souls, each wanted more, but the fear being too great when they remembered what Paxton and others like him had put them through. There would always be opposition to their pairing from both Humans and Vulcan's alike. Paxton's group may have acted in the extreme, but there was still enough hatred to make a life together hard for them on either of their home planets. T'Pol wasn't sure if what they had was strong enough to withstand the opposition they would face. The bond was still there, but as the distance grew the effects began to wane.

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It was late Friday evening, and Malcolm, Hoshi, and Travis all decided that Trip needed some distraction from his troubles. All he seemed to be interested in these days was to immerse himself in work. So they invited him to Hoshi's quarters to play a couple of rounds of poker. Malcolm had brought enough beer for all of them and Trip had brought a variety of chips and pretzels that everyone was eagerly dipping into. Their conversation was lively and jocular throughout the night, especially since Trip was losing badly to Hoshi because of her amazing bluffing ability.

"God damn it!" exclaimed Trip as he lost another round to Hoshi. "Son of a bitch, ya did it again."

Hoshi just threw him an innocent look, much to the amusement of Malcolm and Travis who were rolling on the floor with laughter.

"I'm glad I'm such an object of amusement for you guys," said Trip trying to feign annoyance.

"Hey, take pity on us. It's been a while since you were pregnant," laughed Malcolm.

Trip threw him a look of disgust.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but it's so funny," laughed Travis. "You should know by now what a shark she is, but you stubbornly refuse to give up and keep plugging away, giving her more ammo to whip your butt with."

"Watch who you're calling a shark," smirked Hoshi as she gathered up another stash of chips from the centre of the table.

"Maybe you should play a game where you'll be more evenly matched?" Travis grinned at the Commander. "How about Snap?"

"Are you kidding?" Malcolm laughed. "I'm sure Hoshi will wipe the floor with him even in that game."

"Har, Har, Har." said Trip as he stood up, "on that note I'm off."

"Come on, Sir!" pleaded Travis. "Don't leave … we'll stop."

"Sorry, Travis, but if I'm gonna have any pay left this month, I have to leave _now_."

Just when Trip turned round towards the door, there was a sound of someone imitating a chicken squawking, but he just shook his head and smirked before walking out of the door.

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Ten minutes later Trip walked onto the bridge towards the Engineering console.

"I thought you were off-duty?" Archer asked him.

"I was," Trip replied, "but since Hoshi decided to wipe the floor with my ass and take three quarters of my pay in a poker game, I thought I would put in some extra hours to make up for it."

"I thought you knew better than to challenge Hoshi in a poker game," laughed Archer as he walked towards him, leaning on the railing.

"Didn't ya know I'm a sucker for punishment?" Trip replied with a grin. "I thought she was having me on when she said she was thrown out of the Academy for running card games."

"That wasn't even the half of it." Archer replied. "I had a hell of a time convincing brass into reinstating her for this mission."

"What do ya mean, that wasn't the half of it?"

"Why don't you leave that and join me in my ready room?" said Archer, steering him towards the door. "You're not going to believe half of the stuff our little linguist got up to….."

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Trip shook his head and laughed at what he had just heard.  
"It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Archer confirmed with a smile, "compared to the image she portrays, she sure was a wild one. Although having said that, you'll never find a more loyal and truer friend."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" replied Trip, pretending to be put out.

"Beside you," laughed Archer, throwing him a 'pain in the ass' look as he went to get two more bottles from the fridge. "Do you want to watch the new game I got sent through last week?"

"Sure, who's playing?"

"Texas verses Miami." Archer chuckled as he walked over to his desk to pick up the memory chip with the recording. "From what I've heard, it sounds right up your alley – a tight match with plenty of questionable calls that you can yell at."

"Bring it on!" Trip said with enthusiasm, and settled himself down into a comfortable position on the coach.

Just then, the comm.. buzzed.

"Archer?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir, but we've picked up a distress call three light years away from our current position."

"Change course to rendezvous and call up the senior staff," the captain replied, "we'll be there in five minutes."

"Sorry Trip, looks like we'll have to postpone this for another time."

"No rest for the wicked," said Trip, chuckling. "Come on, let's see who needs our help this time."

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Chapter Two

The distress call turned out to be from a small, slick vessel carrying two male occupants. It didn't look that out of the ordinary at first; but as they drew closer, Trip ran several scans to get some idea of the problem they were facing. By now, he was almost salivating at the thought of getting on board of this ship: she was capable of Warp 7.5.

"How much longer, Ensign?" asked Trip, as he pacing up and down behind the Captain's chair in anticipation.

Before she could reply, "Trip, will you sit down before you wear a hole in the deck plating?" Archer chided his Chief Engineer with feigned annoyance. "Hoshi will put them through as soon as we're within hailing distance."

"That ship is capable of Warp 7.5," Trip said in an eager fashion. "Have ya any idea how long I waited to get a look at engines capable of going that speed?"

"Well, it's not going anywhere fast," smiled Archer, "so will you please sit down? Or do I have to kick you off the Bridge, back to your Engine Room?"

With a pout, Trip sat down near the Engineering station, but his constant fidgeting soon had the bridge crew shaking their heads with a smile – he was like a kid waiting to tour a chocolate factory where he had been promised to get as many free samples as he liked.

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"Thank you for answering our distress call," said Trevella over the view screen. "We were concerned about being stranded here for a while; not many ships traverse this space."

"We are explorers from Earth," smiled Archer, "and we're en-route for a nebular cluster bordering this system when we detected your signal. How can we assist you?"

Allion, the other occupant of the ship answered his question. "We are merchant runners from Daled V, and we are a very tight schedule, so there is always too little time for ship's maintenance. This neglect has finally caught up with us and burned us, I'm afraid. The engine damage is beyond my repair due to a shortage of the necessary parts. Anything you could spare, we would be eternally grateful. It is very important for us to get back on schedule and to make our delivery on time."

"I'll send my Chief Engineer over to look it." Archer offered and grinned when he saw Trip's eager face. Trip would probably reach Warp 7.5 too on his way over there.

"We're eternally grateful," replied Trevella, "Shall we dock with you then?"

Archer nodded, and indicated to Trip to begin making the necessary preparations. As he had predicted, Trip almost jumped to his feet and headed for the Shuttle Bay. He watched his friend leave, and after a moment's thought Archer turned back to the view screen. "Would you like to come over for a tour of our ship and a meal?" he offered the aliens. "My Chief Engineer could assess the damage in the meanwhile."

"I'd prefer to stay aboard and help out, if you don't mind; but hopefully we'll get a chance to meet properly before the repairs are finished. Thank you again, Captain."

Without another word, the alien cut off the transmission.

"That wasn't nice……" Hoshi thought out load and looked at the Captain. "I wonder why they didn't want to come over?"

"Maybe they are not comfortable around species they are unfamiliar with," T'Pol suggested.

"If that were the case, they would hardly have asked us for help," Hoshi countered in a slight sarcastic tone.

"Maybe there not used to small talk?" Malcolm offered.

"Whatever the reason is," said Archer, settling down into his chair again, "I'm sure Trip will give us a long report on his return."

"Are you kidding?" Malcolm chuckled to almost everyone's amusement. "After having seen those engines, we'll be unable to shut him up for weeks."

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"All is not lost," said Trevella. "We may be able to turn this to our advantage: we can use the Earthlings to detour our cargo and to throw off our enemies."

"How do we know if they are even physically capable of carrying her?" asked Allion. "We can't take any risks! Her survival is our last hope."

"Don't worry, the Gods are with us. I ran some bio scans while I was talking to their captain, and the results were quite interesting. Apparently both of their genders are capable of carrying."

"Both genders? That is unusual," Allion confirmed

"Quite unusual. The scans showed that the blond Engineer has previously carried a child. So the only thing that stands against us now is time -- time to complete the transfer and our repairs before they close in and find us."

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"How's it going, Trip?" Captain Archer asked when walking into Engineering. Trip apparently was still packing tools and equipment.

"Just finished packing up -- I'll need 5 more minutes. Have they docked yet?"

"They're docking right now. Malcolm's at the hatch doing some last minute checks."

Once Trip was finished, the two men walked towards the docking hatch together. "I half expected T'Pol asking to supervise me, considering how their technology is more advanced than ours and all that….." Trip joked, but when he saw the Captain coyly look away and cover his face with his hands as if trying to hide a smirk, an idea came to him. "She did?" he burst out.

"She mentioned something along those lines."

"Ya said no, didn't ya?" asked Trip, a little annoyed.

"She'll be able to give you a hand." replied Archer, a little cagily.

"Hell no!" Trip stood in the corridor and with his hands on his hips. "She'll bug the hell outta me and drive me nuts within the day, treating me like a god-damn kid who's trying to steal candy."

"I think your exaggerating, Trip."

"No I'm not. There is no way I'll be able to get anything fixed, because she'll refuse to tell me anything, saying it's too damn classified for me to know."

"Trip, I think you're going a bit overboard here….."

"Remember how she wouldn't let me near the Science Station's sensors after she had re-calibrated to Vulcan specs six months ago? And only then would she let me near them after the Vulcans had upgraded theirs to a higher standard."

Captain Archer pretended to ignore this. He had heard about the incident after Trip had threatening to boot T'Pol out of the airlock. "She's got a lot of experience, Trip, and I think you'll find that useful. I thought you and T'Pol had managed to get past your differences?"

"We have, Cap'n. This is nothing against T'Pol. I still care for her -- even if her feelings aren't mutual --, and I respect her as my senior officer."

"I know you do, Trip. I'm sorry it didn't work out between you. I admire how you both managed to set aside your personal differences during work."

"Thanks. It's not been easy, but I learned the hard way that running away doesn't solve anything. Trip appeared to be in deep thought for a moment before he went on. "Anyway I'm still holding out that she'll come round to my boyish charm and devilish good looks again," he smirked, much to Archer's amusement. "What I meant to say is that Trevella and Allion will be there as well -- it's their ship, so I think they'll be able to provide whatever help I'll need. Besides, it's only a small ship with limited space, and it'll be too cramped with T'Pol over there. We'll just end up getting under each other's feet."

Captain Archer looked a bit thoughtful but unconvinced.

"I promise," Trip urged, "if I need her help, I'll comm her straight away. I'm pleading for my sanity here, Captain."

"All right. I'll pass on the bad news, but if it looks like it's taking you too long, she's coming over there, and I don't care whether she gets under your feet or not."

"Thanks, Cap'n. I owe ya one."

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Three

Trip was in his element. These engines were amazing, and studying their design gave him some great ideas on how to improve Enterprise's specs. Plus Trevella and Allion really knew what they were doing when it came to engineering repairs. They taught him quite a few tricks when they modified the spare parts he'd brought in order to align them with their ship's systems. Trip was impressed: in just less than 48 hours they had completed nearly three quarters of the repairs without significant trouble or problems being encountered.

"Commander, it's been a while since you've last eaten, so why don't you stop for a break?" Trevella proposed. "I could give you the rest of that tour I promised."

"Let me just finish adjusting these," Trip replied, stretching his arms to reach the panel that had been toying with him for the last five minutes, "'cos it's really beginning to annoy me."

Trevella smiled. He really liked this young Commander. His eagerness for work and his never ending questions were quite refreshing. The thought that they'd have to use him for their advantage wasn't a pleasant one, but unfortunately desperate times called for desperate measures.

_Their home world was on a straight course to self destruction. Two long warring factions competed for power, and they were determined to blow each other up at all costs. The Daledians, an unbiased faction from a neighbouring system had been brought in as peace negotiators in the hope of ending the war with a cease-fire treaty. Part of that treaty was the arrangement for the son and the daughter of the two reigning families to be joined in union. The Daledians viewed strong family values as the main aspect for maintaining a steady and successful society, so it seems the most appropriate place to start. _

_One element of maintaining the bloodline was the condition that each powerful ruling family provided gamete samples, which were successful combined and stored in cryo storage. The Daledians proposed that the young couple also comply with this condition as part of the treaty. This embryo would then be housed in cryo storage on Daled V, and should anything happen to its parents; the Daledians would take the embryo to a guardian who would begin preparations for her birth. The Guardians would then care for the child in safe seclusion, returning with her once she reached adulthood, in the hope that she would bridge the divide and unite her people. _

_The Daledians knew they could trust the Guardians because they had stabilized their own society this way hundreds of years ago. The referred to and looked upon them as Gods, following their rules and laws that were set out on a set of sacred scriptures._

_The young couple's marriage did bring peace for a short period of time, but the Daledians underestimated the violent nature of the two factions, and before to long they were assassinated by an unknown assailant. Hostilities returned in full force, so Trevella and Allian were given the mission of secreting the embryo away to the guardians, who the Daledians would contact. They would transfer her to a host and take care of her in a secret location once she was born. _

_Unfortunately each of the two factions sent undercover operatives into Daledian territory to recover and destroy the embryo. Ransacking their cryo storage and destroying their head quarters, they uncovered the plans for Trevella and Allian's mission, and hence forth set out after them. During the destruction and carnage Trevella and Allian had received a short cryptic message warning them of what was transpiring, but they were cut off before they could find out if the Guardians had been contacted. They had managed to elude them for the time being, but being far from the designated meeting place and unaware if the Guardians had been contacted about the transpired events, Trevella and Allian were now faced with a desperate situation._

At last, Trevella put these thoughts aside, and smiled at the human.

"I'll inform Allion to prepare some nourishment for you."

"Thanks," Trip replied without looking up from the repairs he was doing. Trevella left the room, and made sure the door was shut behind him before addressing Allion who was working nearby. "Make preparations to bring the embryo out of storage, so we can transfer her into Commander Tucker."

"Are you sure about this?"

"We don't have any other options. It's been two weeks since we left Dalad IV, we haven't heard from the Guardians despite repeated hails, and our engines are almost dry from trying to outrun the Doradians and the Duordean's. With the damage the engines sustained, we won't be able to elude them much longer – even with the repairs."

Allion wasn't convinced yet.

"What if the Doradians and the Duordean's find us before we manage to contact the Guardians? What will happen to the child then? The Humans are in no way obligated too carry out our mission."

"Introduce the conditioning program after the procedure," Trevella replied, "that will prevent any inclination towards termination. Once she has been implanted awaken Commander Tucker and pass on the coordinates to the meeting place, transmission codes and knowledge of who the Guardians are and what they look like. Once contacted, and I have every faith they will be, they will know how to proceed to ensure success. Have faith in the Gods, Allion; they haven't failed us yet."

"Conditioning him will take time," Allion pointed out. "What if his ship mates try to contact him?"

Trevella grinned. "I'll divert them. Maybe the time has come to take up their Captain up on his offer for dinner and a tour."

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20 minutes later, Trevella walked back into their Engine Room and addressed the Human in a friendly tone. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Just finished." Trip answered. He appeared to be please with himself as he stood and brushed the dirt off his hands onto his uniform. "I don't think that system is going to give us any more problems now."

"Why don't we get some food now?" Trevella offered, and lead the Human out of the room to some quarters where he could wash and change. "If you'd like, I'll show you the specs of our engine during dinner."

Trip's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are ya sure? I mean, ya won't get into trouble by that, will ya?"

"After all the effort and hard work you've put into helping us during the last few days, Commander, it would be an honour."

Thanks!" Trip had suddenly developed the ability to produce one of Phlox's huge smiles.

Ten minutes later, he was tucking into some really delicious Deledian food, all the while devouring a data pad of engineering specifications. He was so engrossed in his reading that nothing else in the room seemed to register -- much to Trevella's delight, who slipped a knock out agent into the Human's drink. "See anything of interest?" he asked with a glint of humour in his eye.

"Oh yeah ..." replied Trip, who was in his element soaking up all the information that he could. "This is amazing! How long have you had this technology?"

Trevella began to explain some of the history of his people, but Trip was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. The images began to get blurry and swim around his vision. _/ what the hell// _he thought and passed out into unconsciousness at last.

Travella took the Human's pulse and scanned his bio sign. He had to make sure the Human would not be aversely affected by their drugs; he didn't want to harm the young man. When he was satisfied that everything was fine, he notified Allion to begin the transfer. "You've got five hours. I'm not sure if I can distract them any longer than that."

"That should be long enough," said Allion as they carried Trip to their Medical Bay.

"Don't answer any hails or acknowledge anyone until I return," Trevella informed the other man, "I'll lock the bay and will tell anyone who asks that you and Commander Tucker are not to be disturbed since you are performing critical and repairs. That and me having dinner with their Captain should leave you undisturbed."

Allion nodded, before proceeding to prepare Trip for the operation. He wasn't happy about this deception, but as Trevella had said: desperate times called for desperate measures.

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Chapter Four

"What the hell happened?" Trip demanded to know the moment he opened his eyes. He tried to ignore the throbbing headache as well as the overall feeling that he'd just been hit by a ten tonne truck.

"Phlox seems to think you had a bad reaction to our food," lied Allion, trying to look sincere as he helped Trip sit up on the bio bed.

"I can't remember… I don't even remember sitting down for dinner."

Allion handed him some water to drink. "Don't worry, I'm sure it will all come back."

"Thanks," Trip said softly as he slowed sipped it down.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," Trip replied, "but it's nothing to worry about. I'm just a little dizzy, and I've got a killer headache."

"Here," said Allion, injecting him with a hypo spray, "Phlox left this for me to give you when came round. I'll help you back to your quarters so you can get some rest. Me and Travella can finish up here."

"Preciate that," said Trip, as Allion helped him down and guided him back to Enterprise. He was not normally the sort of person to spend time resting, especially when there was work to finish, but he simply didn't have the strength to do anything at the moment.

"We appreciate everything you've done for us … and what you are doing for us," said Allion softly. "We all owe you a huge debt."

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After escorting Commander Tucker back to his quarters and helping him settle, Allion returned to his ship to begin preparations for their departure. Trevella had just sent word that his extended tour, dinner and drink with Captain Archer and T'Pol was ending and that if all 'vital repairs' were completed, it would be best if they got back on their way.

"Captain, thank you for all your help," said Trevella as he bid farewell at the airlock to T'Pol and Captain Archer. "Please give my regards and thanks to Commander Tucker after he has rested."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind coming down here to say goodbye."

"Please no, Captain. I don't want to disturb him after his hard work in the last few days; he looked quite exhausted when I last saw him."

"Maybe we should accompany you on your journey?" Captain Archer offered. "Our mission is to seek out new worlds after all, and this region of space is new to us."

"Normally I wouldn't mind, Captain, but our clients are quite wary of strangers. I don't want to jeopardise our trade agreement."

"Maybe next time then," said Captain Archer as they bid each other farewell.

"Well I think that went quite well for a change," smiled Captain Archer as they both walked into the turbo bridge back to the bridge.

"Indeed," T'Pol said dryly, "most unusual."

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It had been 3 days since Enterprise had parted with the Daladians' ship, and everyone aboard had quickly gotten back to their routine. Not so Trip. He carried on as usual in Engineering, but he still couldn't explain what had happened to cause his reaction on board the Daladian's ship. To make matters worse, there seemed to be slight after effects. He felt dizzy and extremely tired, no matter how long he slept. He considering seeing Phlox about it, but decided that it probably would go away on its own.

Scans had indicated the ship was within a day's range of an unknown M-class planet, so preparations were made for teams to be dispatched to go down and explore it. In fact, Captain Archer had called for the senior staff to meet up in the briefing room this morning to discuss the survey plans. T'Pol, Reed, Travis, Sato, and Phlox were already there when Archer entered to start the meeting.

"Where's Trip?"

"We're still waiting for him to arrive," said T'Pol, "he may have been delayed in Engineering."

The Captain nodded, and then reached for the next comm. panel. "Archer to Engineering .."

"Engineering, Sir … Kelby here."

"Can you put Trip on, please?"

"He's not here, Sir…"

"I thought his shift started 30mins ago?"

"It's possible that he was called away on an urgent matter, Sir. Do you want me to send someone to look for him?"

"No, it's all right," replied Archer, and switched the comm. off. Then he indicated for T'Pol to scan for Trip's bio sign.

"He is in his quarters," she said, a little surprised at Trip's unusual behaviour.

The Captain reached for the comm. panel again. "Archer to Commander Tucker, please respond."

It took almost two minutes before an extremely sleepy Commander Tucker reacted at last. "Trip here …"

"Forget to set your alarm clock, Commander?"

"Damn it," cursed Trip, and then they could hear him stumble out of bed. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'll be there in five minutes."

True to his word, a hastily dressed and washed Trip rushed into the briefing room five minutes later, mumbling an apology to the others before taking his seat.

"Let's begin then," Archer said and threw Trip a concerned look. When the meeting had ended, and everyone was getting up ready to leave, Archer approached his friend and asked him whether he had a minute?"

They waited until the others had left the room before Trip asked: "Is this about me being late? I'm really sorry about that, Cap'n."

"Forget about it. Even the best of us are entitled to an off day. Are you feeling okay though? Anything bothering you?"

"Yes and no to both of your questions. I'm fine, Sir; there's nothing to worry about. I've just been a little tired the past few days. I guess, things just caught up on me," Trip explained. "I'll be a good boy and get an earlier night tonight."

"Okay, Commander," smiled Archer as he playfully tapped him on the arm and followed him out. "Why don't you go and help T'Pol prepare for the upcoming survey? I think she wants her science station scanners looked over."

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On the Bridge

"Hey," Trip greeted T'Pol, "the Cap'n said you wanted your station looking at?"

"Yes, the sensors appear to be out of alignment. There are numerous discrepancies and errors when trying to get detailed scans."

"Well, scoot over and let me look," said Trip as he leaned down under her console and started checking the wires.

"How are you?" T'Pol asked him. Her voice sounded a little hesitant and unsure.

Trip gave her a quick glance, and then carried on with his work.

"I'm fine."

"Are you eating well?"

"I'm getting enough. Why do ya ask?"

"You have not been eating with the Captain for the past few days."

"Yeah, I've been a bit tired recently, so I grabbed some food and had early nights."

"You still appear to be tired. You are quite pale, Commander. Maybe you should see Dr. Phlox after you've finished here?"

"Watch out, T'Pol," Trip teased her, "you sound like you're concerned. Before ya know it people may think ya care."

Her voice was unusually soft when she answered "There has never been much doubt about that … Trip."

Trip looked into her big brown eyes for a moment, and felt bad for having accused her. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I know you care, T'Pol. I guess, I'm just feeling nostalgic for bygone times."

She nodded as if to accept his apology.

"I am concerned about you, Trip. You don't seem well, even more so with your lateness for this mornings meeting."

"I appreciate your concern, T'Pol but I'm fine. This morning was just a one off; it won't happen again."

T'Pol didn't appear convinced at all, so Trip pushed more. "Why don't we meet up after our shift? We could have dinner in ma quarters. It's been a while since we've had a chat and a game of Go. You can make sure I'm tucked up in bed early enough, and I'll even let ya set ma alarm clock."

T'Pol nodded with a strange expression on her face. "Is seven o'clock agreeable?"

"It's a date," Trip said and winked to show that he was teasing her. Then he went on to look at her console.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Five

It was seven o'clock sharp when Trip's doorbell chimed. You could say a lot about T'Pol, but being late for an appointment was definitely not one of her traits.

Trip was quite nervous. This would be the first personal moment they shared with each other since Elizabeth's death six months ago. And he hoped, it wouldn't be the last for as long. The food was prepared already, and Trip had needed to force himself to wait for T'Pol. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. He was starved! In fact, he was so tired and so exhausted that he wondered why he had asked her to dinner in the first place. These doubts vanished quickly though, when he opened the door and found her wearing his favourite outfit: the red cat-suit.

He smiled at her while waving her inside.

"On time as usual. Hope your hungry, Chef has prepared a feast."

Trip offered her a chair, and she sat down gracefully.

"Thank you," T'Pol said. While Trip walked back to his own seat, she glanced around the room with barely hidden curiosity. When she noticed a small photo in the corner which was lying down face forward, she threw Trip a look and raised her right eyebrow in question.

"It's a picture of Elizabeth," Trip replied softly. "I know talking about her still upsets you , and I didn't want to ruin things this evening … I can put it away in the--"

"No, please return it to its original position. You derive pleasure from remembering her; I don't want to deprive you of this."

"Do you still think of her?" Trip asked and indicated for T'Pol to tuck in.

"Occasionally."

"Occasionally?" he queried, a little surprised considering Elizabeth had been her child.

"It is illogical to spend one's life thinking about 'what might have been'. I grieve for her in my own way. Vulcan's may suppress their emotions but that doesn't mean I don't miss her."

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you didn't … It's difficult … Um, maybe I shouldn't have brought the topic up."

"It is fine," T'Pol said quietly. "I understand that talking about her helps you deal with your grief."

There was a tense silence for a few moments. So they both tucked into their meal and wondered what subject to approach next. "This macaroni cheese is delicious," T'Pol offered at last. "Aren't you hungry? You have eaten very little."

"Thought I was, but I seem to have a bit of heart burn that's putting me off."

"Would you like some water?" T'Pol asked, and rose to her feet to get it for him.

"Thanks, but I'll get it," Trip interrupted her. He stood up and walked over to the bathroom, but he was suddenly overcome by a dizzy spell which caused him to stumble and grip his desk for support.

"Damn, I think there's something wrong with the environmental controls… It's a bit hot all of a sudden …" the Commander said to himself before the whole room began to spin out of control and he felt himself collapse onto the floor. The last thing he heard was a faint cry of his name.

---------------------------------------------------------

Slowly, Trip pulled himself upwards through muggy water. The closer he got to the surface, the clearer his mind became. By now he could make out faint voices of people close by; and he used them as a guide to pull himself closer until he broke the surface to a blinding light. He had to blink to clear his vision. After a moment, the blurred images became clear enough for Trip to recognise Sickbay. with T'Pol, Phlox, and Captain Archer stood next to him.

"Damn, how the hell did I get in here?" he asked quietly, and attempted to sit up.

"Easy!" said Archer, rushing to his friend's side in order to help him into a more comfortable position. "Can you remember what happened?"

"Things are a little hazy …" mumbled Trip, trying to think back to how he got into this predicament.

"We were having dinner in your quarters," T'Pol reminded him and offered him a glass of water. "You were feeling a little nauseous from heartburn, and were about to get a drink of water when you suddenly collapsed."

"That's right! I think the environmental controls were a little off, 'cos the last thing I remember was getting so hot that I couldn't think straight … then everything went blank."

"I don't think it was the environmental controls, Commander," said Phlox. "Your blood pressure is very high, and your low serotonin levels indicate that you are hungry and exhausted. All of these combined added to your collapse."

"I admit, I've been exhausted lately, and I may have skipped a few meals, but it's no different from what I've been through before, Doc. I don't know why my blood pressure would be high. I've never suffered from that in the past."

"As I recall," Phlox corrected him, "you have suffered high blood pressure during your Xryellian pregnancy."

"That was four years ago, and I'm not pregnant!" Trip countered forcefully. He wondered why Archer, Phlox, and T'Pol were suddenly exchanging looks as if they knew something he didn't. "Cap'n, Phlox, what's going on?"

Archer sat down next to him on a chair. "Trip, were there anyone other crewmen on the ship aside from Allion and Trevella?"

"No. It was just them. You should know that, you scanned the ship."

"Did anything happen while you were over there?"

"Like what?"

"Did you touch or do anything you weren't sure about?"

"No, I didn't! Look will ya tell me what's going on? I'm getting real worried."

"Commander," T'Pol began. She looked quite agitated. "It seems you are pregnant … again."

Trip was so perplexed, all he could do was to throw out a 'WTF' look. "Is this a joke?" he whispered, then chuckled after deciding that it had to be a joke. The Captain was trying to pull a fast one. "Good one, Cap'n. Ya almost got me going there."

Archer's face didn't look like he was joking at all though. "Trip, we're not joking," he replied in a solemn voice. At last Phlox moved the overhead view screen so Trip could look at his recent scans.

"This cluster over here, Commander is the embryo. I've been able to determine that it was impregnated about four, maybe five days ago, but it's growing at an exponential rate. I'd say it will come to full term in about five to six months."

Slowly the truth began to dawn on him, and Trip was unsettled. "How the hell did this happen?"

"That is what we are trying to find out, Commander," T'Pol bit at him in an accusing voice.

"Cap'n, I swear, I didn't go near or touch any pebbles this time."

"Can you think back to what happened on the ship?" Captain Archer asked. "Something must have happened around the last day you were there."

Trip furrowed his brow.

"That's the thing, Cap'n; I can't remember what happened that day. Everything's a bit fuzzy. I was gonna see Phlox about it, but I figured it were just the side-effects of the medication he gave me."

Phlox was puzzled.

"I haven't seen or treated you for anything in weeks, Commander."

"What do ya mean, Doc? I had a bad reaction to some of the alien's food, and you came aboard and treated me. Allion gave the medication you left for me when I came round."

"You are mistaken, Commander. I haven't set foot on the alien's ship."

"Why would Allion lie?"

"I don't know, Trip," said Captain Archer, "but I intend to find out. Doc, how is Trip? Will he be okay?" Trip was about to retort that he was fine and not someone to be mothered, but decided to keep quiet when he caught the warning glance in Archer's eye.

"I'd like to monitor him in Sickbay for the next 24 hours, but he should be okay to return on-duty tomorrow -- on the condition that he sees me twice a day, gets plenty of rest, and doesn't miss any meals."

"Don't worry, Doc, he will," replied Captain Archer in his 'I mean business' tone of voice.

Then he turned to his pregnant Chief Engineer. "Don't worry, Trip," he said, "we'll find the Daladians, and then we'll figure this all out."

Archer turned to leave Sickbay, but hesitated for a moment. Then he added: "We'll better keep this to ourselves … for now."

"God damn it," thought Trip while lying back down on the bio bed, "why does this always happen to me?"

He had just been getting back with T'Pol … bud judging from the look she threw him, he doubted she'd come within ten foot of him now


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Six

Early the next morning, after constant sighs and pleading looks, Trip had managed to convince Phlox to release him from sickbay on the condition that he rest for the next 24 hours before returning to work. Trip had every intention of following these orders; he'd seen the wrath of Phlox too many times before, and he had no intention of rousing it again. First of all, he wanted to see T'Pol. She had looked really angry with him last night, and he wanted to set things straight. He knew they weren't 'a couple' anymore, so he didn't have to answer for his actions, but she still was a good friend after all. He cared for her. It felt important to him that she knew and believed his version of what had happened.

It was still early enough to catch her before her shift began, Trip thought as he stood outside her quarters, plucking up the courage to knock. It took him a while. "_Come on, Trip, ya big wuss, anyone would think ya afraid!_" After hesitating another moment he finally rang.

"Come."

"Sorry," exclaimed Trip after having entered her room to see her sitting cross legged on the floor, apparently meditating. "I'm not interrupting ya, am I?"

"No, I was just finishing." T'Pol stood up but she wouldn't look at him. "I thought you were still supposed to be in sickbay?"

"Ya should know by now how adapt I am at getting round Phlox," smirked Trip as he sat down on her bunk, making himself at home.

"Was there something I can do for you, Commander, or did your condition cause you to lose your whereabouts and go to the wrong cabin?"

Trip cocked his head and threw her a 'don't be a smart ass' look. Whoever had said Vulcans don't have a sense of humour obviously had never met T'Pol. "I wanted to talk to you, to explain what happened."

"I think you made yourself quite clear in your explanation last night, Commander," replied T'Pol sitting down in the chair opposite of him.

"Obviously not, considering your annoyed reaction."

"As I have told you numerous times before, Commander, Vulcans do not get annoyed."

"Could have fooled me, 'cos you obviously didn't believe me."

T'Pol just glared.

"Look, I know you can still sense my thoughts through this bond we've still got. It might not be as strong as before, but you can tell when I'm telling the truth or not."

"Is that important?"

"What?" asked Trip, unsure how to interpret her question?

"Is it important that I believe you?"

"Hell yes, it's important to me."

"Why?"

"Because I still care a great deal for you. Even if there had been women on that ship -- and there weren't -- I'm not the sort of guy to just go off with the first person I see, especially after what we had together. I wouldn't do that to you."

T'Pol stared at him long and hard, searching his mind for answers. After a prolonged moment, she relaxed slightly in her chair. "I believe you, Trip."

"So why do I still sense that your annoyed with me?" Trip smiled, giving her his little-boy look.

"You should have sought my help with the repairs on the ship."

"Ya pissed because I didn't want ya there," exclaimed Trip.

"Vulcans do not get pis--"

"I know, I know, Vulcans don't get pissed. Look I value your expertise, but do ya really think you would have been better than Trevella and Allion, who know the ship like the back of their hand? We had everything under control……"

"That much is obvious, Commander."

"Wow, two retorts in less than one minute," replied Trip, being snarky. "Quite the wise cracker, aren't we?"

"I've learned from the best," replied T'Pol, raising her usual eyebrow.

Trip looked at her, genuinely uncertain how to react for a moment. Then he shook his head and got up from the bed.

"Maybe this was a bad idea …"

"Wait, I apologise, Commander … I shouldn't have said that. Please sit down again."

"Sorry, T'Pol, I'm just a little wound up, ya know. It was bad enough going through this four years ago; I never dreamed I would do something stupid enough for it to happen again. I just don't know if I can do this again without the support of… you and ma friends."

T'Pol nodded to indicate that she understood. "If I recall correctly, you can't remember what happened the last day on board the Daladian ship."

"I can't, but ya looking at Mr. Walking Disaster here, who can't keep his fingers to himself," smirked Trip, referring back to her remark four years ago in sick bay with Phlox and Archer.

"I believe you are being too hard on yourself, Commander."

"Yeah, maybe, but no one else would be daft enough to get themselves knocked up twice. Hell, if I ever have to repair another ship, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Capt'n sends me over with a packet of contraceptives, just to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Even though she didn't show it, Trip could tell that T'Pol was amused by this thought.

"Trip, I believe I may be able to help you remember."

"How?" asked Trip, a little curious.

"Through a mind meld."

"Ya mean, that thing Soval did, back when we were trying to figure out the embassy bombing on Vulcan?"

"Yes."

"Have ya done something like that before? Will it hurt? Is it dangerous?"

"I have performed a mind meld before on Ensign Sato, when we were trying to find the abductors of Doctor Phlox," explained T'Pol. "It won't hurt, although you may experience slight side effects afterwards."

"Side effects?"

"Nothing to concern yourself about. You may feel some lingering effects from our minds touching – shared dreams, maybe taking on each others mannerisms, but it won't last long."

"Hmmmmm… sort of like our bond, but a bit more extreme?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it will work?" asked Trip.

"There is a high possibility of success."

"All right, we'll give it a go. When should we start?"

"We should consult Doctor Phlox and Captain Archer. I believe they will insist on being present," said T'Pol. Then as Trip's stomach began to protest loudly, "Maybe we should take a detour first," she said raising her eyebrow at the sound, much to Trip's embarrassment.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Seven

After having practically cleared the mess hall's food cabinets -- much to the amusement of T'Pol, who couldn't believe the amount of food Trip was packing away, and much to the dismay of the other crewman, who had wandered in with the hope of getting some dinner -- they both walked back to sickbay together. T'Pol had already notified Captain Archer of her intentions to initiate a mind meld, and the Captain had agreed to meet them there.

"Are you quite sure about this, Trip?" Archer asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," replied Trip. "I just need to know if Allion lied to me. You never know, they might have mentioned where they were headed or what they were planning next."

Captain Archer nodding his head to indicate that he understood Trip's reasoning.

"Lie back and relax, Commander," Phlox said, as he monitored his bio signs overhead. "You've seen this procedure before, so you know it doesn't hurt."

"That was different Doc. The guard Soval melded with was unconscious and not expected to live anyway."

"Commander, this won't work unless you relax your emotional suppression," T'Pol said.

"My what?"

"Just relax, Trip," interrupted Captain Archer. "I've been through this, you'll be fine."

"Do you trust me, Commander?" T'Pol asked calmly as she looked tenderly into his eyes.

"You know I do, T'Pol."

"Then you know I will never hurt you," she replied, as he nodded his head and settled down. "Close your eyes and try to clear your mind."

Positioning her fingers over the katra points, T'Pol closed her eyes and reached out for his mind. "My mind to your mind … Our minds are merging … Our minds are one. I feel what you feel … I know what you know."

Trip drew in a sharp breath when he suddenly felt T'Pol's presence. It was the strangest sensation. When she spoke her voice came from inside of his own head.

"_Can you hear me, Trip?_"

"_Wow … I can. It feels really weird though …_"

Aloud inside his head, guiding him, "Please concentrate, Trip, being inside your head is quite a taxing experience…"

"_Sorry."_

"_Try to think back to your last day onboard the Daladian ship. What is your last memory of that day?"_

"_Being annoyed by a damn injector which wouldn't cooperate and was determined to make my life miserable."_ described Trip as T'Pol viewed the image in her mind.

"_Good. What else can you remember?"_

"_Sitting down for dinner and reading through their engine's specifications."_

"_What happened after that? Besides sheer enjoyment that I can feel coursing through you, I mean."_

"_Are you making fun of me?"_

"_Please concentrate."_

"_Sorry."_

"_What happened after reading their engine specs?"_

"_I remember feeling really sleepy, and then there is nothing. It feels like there should be something else, but I can't remember …"_

"_Focus on this with me, and together we can break down the wall that is preventing you from remembering … Yes, this is it. Very good."_

For a moment, Doctor Phlox and Captain Archer exchanged a concerned look. Both Trip and T'Pol visibly flinched when they broke through the mental barrier.

"_What is happening?"_ asked T'Pol as she felt panic and fear well up inside Trip.

"_I'm in a medical bay… I can't move or speak! Allion is there and …"_

"_Try to relax, Trip. What is he doing?"_

"_He's got a hyperspray. He's saying something, but I can't make it out."_

"_Focus on his words."_

_ I'm sorry Commander, I need you awake for the next part of this procedure. We don't want to do this, but we're desperate. We don't have long before they'll find us again. We barely managed to escape last time, and with the damage they caused we don't have the speed or power to withstand another attack. You are our only hope. I've placed her inside of you, where she'll be able to grow safely while we head them off. We will try to elude our pursuers, but in case we don't succeed you have to head to these coordinates, transmit a signal on this frequency, and wait until you are contacted by the Guardians. They know how to transfer her to another host; they can take her somewhere safe where she can grow up to fulfil her destiny. _

"_We owe you a huge debt, Commander,"_ replied Trip and T'Pol spoke out loud together as she brought the meld to an end and removed her fingers from Trip's face. They opened their eyes simultaneously, and then they both reflected on what they had seen and heard.

--------------------------------------------------

After T'Pol had explained what she had viewed through the meld, Captain Archer was pacing up and down sickbay. He wasn't happy with this situation at all. In fact he was furious how they were using Trip like a pawn in their bitter squabbles.

"How much luck are you having picking up their warp trail?"

"Lieutenant Reed has picked up a weak signal that he believes matches up to their warp signature," T'Pol answered. "The trail is a few days old, and it's already disintegrating. Following it, however, would mean proceeding in a direction opposite of the new coordinates that the meld brought up."

"We'll follow them. Inform Travis to change our heading."

"But Capt'n?" interrupted Trip. "Wouldn't it make more sense to go to the original coordinates and to signal these…Guardians? They can just remove her, place her in their own kind, and take her somewhere safe."

"Trip, I know the idea of going through this again is not very appealing to you, but--"

"This is not just about me being pregnant and uncomfortable," Trip argued back. "It just seems like we're placing her in unnecessary danger just because you're pissed."

"Yes, I'm angry," replied Archer, "but that's hardly my reason for going after them. They've hardly been truthful with us from the start. How do we know this new information isn't a lie? They manipulated us and used you as a tool for their own means. It seems to me that the best solution is to find them and return to their home planet so we can get the whole story, before deciding where to go from there."

"Wow, that's logical," argued Trip, sarcastically. "Talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. At least you're consistent in your pitiful naïve way of thinking."

"Commander…..I'm trying to take into account your predicament, but right now you're bordering on insubordination."

"The hell with that!" Trip shouted. "A child's life is at stake here."

"It's hardly what I'd call a child at the moment, Trip."

"Oh, that's just the sort of reasoning I would expect from someone who had the gall to grown a human being solely for tissue harvesting," replied Trip as his emotions raged out of control. "I'm not going to stand here while you callously kill another being or see another innocent child die because of me."

He didn't have a chance to finish, as Phlox crept up behind him and pressed a hypo spray with a sedative into his neck.

"Try not to take what he said personally, Captain." Phlox assured Archer as he eased Trip back onto the bio bed. "It's a very stressful time for him, like before, and his hormones are just a little out of control at the moment."

Captain Archer nodded his understanding; he tried to put on a façade that he was okay, but Phlox and T'Pol could both see that he was deeply affected. The fact of the matter was that deep down he wondered if there wasn't a slight hint of truth to what Trip had said. Trip had never spoken about Sim, nor had he spoken much to anyone about Elizabeth, but obviously from his reaction just now, both incidents had cut a deep slash in his heart and were still very much on his mind.

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Eight

After having woken woke up a few hours later, Trip walked down the corridors and felt embarrassed at how he had acted towards Captain Archer. Phlox had told him to go to the mess hall and to get some nourishment, but Trip felt it was more appropriate to apologise to his friend and Captain.

So he went to his ready room instead. Just now, he pressed the comm button on the outside of the door, and wiped his hand nervously through his already tousled hair.

"Enter."

"Have ya got a minute, Sir?"

"Sure, sit down, Trip," Archer replied, a little apprehensive as he indicated to the nearby chair. "What can I do for you?"

"I ……. I want to apologise for what I said earlier. I don't know what got into me … Damn, I do know what got into me, hormones raging you know … but that's not what I meant."

"Don't worry about it, Trip, I understand."

"No … Hell, I had no right to say those things. I didn't mean what I said – I don't think your naïve or a monster."

"Maybe not a monster," Archer replied, thoughtfully, "but you were right about one thing: I gave the order to grow a sentient being, to use him for our own purpose, and then I stood by and watched him die."

"You had a huge weight on your shoulders, saving Earth and all.

"Would you have done the same thing if you had been in my position?" asked Archer.

"No," Trip replied. Then after a little time thinking, he mumbled: "Hell I don't know … desperate times call for desperate measures."

"They sure do," replied Archer, thinking back to their mission last year.

"That's kinda why I'm not angry at what Trevella and Allion did. It seems like they might have been in the same no win situation. I'm not saying what they did was right, just that maybe their situation was pretty bleak and that they had no other option left open to them?"

"I don't think it's quite the same, but I can see you're reasoning behind it," replied Archer, glad that he and Trip were finally laying their cards out on the table.

"So there could be some truth to what they said about how going back could endanger us and their mission," Trip said, pressing his hand to his side, indicating the child inside him.

"Yes, there could be, but I can't just lie down and take what they said at face value without looking at the greater whole," Archer said as he came nearer to Trip and perched beside him on the table. We don't even know if we can trust these Guardians; I'm not happy putting the ship into danger on the trust of two people who we know are liars."

"I understand that, Capt'n," Trip replied, feeling his emotions begin to overwhelm him again, "but I have to think about her now. I couldn't do anything to stop it or prevent it, when Elizabeth died. I didn't know her long, but it still hurt … a lot. I won't let that happen again -- this child's just an innocent pawn in everything, and you can be damned sure I'm gonna protect her and make sure she's safe. I can't do that, though, if you go against their wishes! I have to trust them that they have her interests at heart. It just feels like we're flying blindly into danger."

Trip hesitated for a moment. "Damned hormones!" he muttered quietly as tears began to well up in his eyes."

"Hey," said Archer suddenly as he grabbed Trip in a giant bear hug. "It's going to be all right … You can be damned sure we'll all make sure she's safe; you're not alone in this."

"Ya serious about that?" asked Trip, wiping his damp eyes.

"Yes!"

"Well, in that case you all can have a share of these damned hormones that are soaring outta control. There's nausea, tiredness …"

"Smart ass," laughed Archer, shaking his head as he rubbed Trip's back protectively, not hearing the comm buzz outside his ready room.

Travis walked inside, eyeing the scene between his two Commanding Officers. "Just came to give you a navigation update, Sir. T'Pol thinks we'll intercept the Daladian ship in about four days. Their warp signature seems to be getting stronger, which would indicate that they aren't going anywhere near their top speed, or that they've stopped."

"Thanks, Travis," replied Captain Archer as Trip threw him a concerned look. Archer decided it was time to take Trip's mind off the subject. He took the pad Travis handed him, and focused his thoughts on a game plan of distraction, while Trip turned away, slightly embarrassed, trying to hide his red rimmed eyes.

"Is Commander Tucker okay?"

"He's fine, Travis," replied Archer and guiding the younger man out of the room. "Why don't you go and relieve Davis on the bridge? I believe his shift is nearly finishing."

"Damn, that's gonna get the rumour mill flowing again," Trip said.

"Shouldn't be anything new to you my friend," laughed Archer affectionly. "Come on, let's go and watch a movie and relax."

------------------------------------------------------

Later the next morning, Trip was in the mess hall reading some engineering reports, trying to take his mind off his queasy stomach.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Malcolm, walking up with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.

"Sure," replied Trip, averting his eyes from Malcolm's full breakfast plate. "_Great, just what I need right now. The sight of food …_"

"Feeling okay?"

"What do ya mean?" asked Trip as he covered his mouth with his hand and tried to think calming thoughts that would tame the powerful urges in his stomach.

"Travis said you look kind of upset yesterday, I just wondered if you were feeling all right." Malcolm said as he tuckered into his food, enjoying it immensely.

"I'm fine."

"Well you have been kinda moody lately, flying off the hand and all. Come to think of it, you look kinda green around the edges--"

"Sorry!" Trip interrupted. He jumped off his chair, mumbled a quick "I gotta go somewhere," into Malcolm's direction, and started running for the bathroom nearby.

"_Odd_." thought Malcolm as he pushed his plate to the side. He stood up and went to after Trip to see whether he was okay. It just took one look at his friend's pale face, as he flushed the toilet and dabbed cold water onto his face. "Come on, Trip. We're going to see Phlox. You are anything but fine."

"Just give me a sec, will ya?" replied Trip. He took some deep breaths while Malcolm handed him a towel. "There's no need to see Phlox, not much he can do anyway."

"What's going on, Trip? You look all full. You're obviously sick, you look worn out, and you've been more emotional than my Aunt Fanny these last couple of days. Put that together with us looking for the Daladian ship again, for reasons that the Captain and Commander T'Pol won't let on, and it's Deja Vu the Xyrillians all over again," joked Malcolm, not realising how close to the actual truth he actually was. Yet, as he looked over at Trip, a warning bell began to ring in his head. "Did something happen on that ship, Trip?"

Looking over at Malcolm, Trip realised that he couldn't lie anymore, especially not to a good friend. "Come on, let's go and sit down. I'll tell ya all about it while you finish your breakfast. You look like you need a good laugh to start your day anyway."

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Nine

The next couple of days were rough on Trip as nausea took hold and his hormones raged tenfold. Gossip over the cause of Trip's mood swings was flying round the ship like wildfire, especially after Travis had mentioned to Hoshi that he thought Trip had been crying in the Captain's quarters. Different theories were offered to explain his behaviour. One crewman opinioned that a lost promotion might have resulted in drinking bouts at night, thus causing massive hangovers the next day. Apparently, the Captain called him on it, which resulted in Trip getting upset. Another theory was that the Commander might have contracted to a mysterious ailment from the Daladians, and that theory would also explain why Enterprise was racing to intercept them now.

The idea of pregnancy hadn't factored into anyone's minds; there had been a lot of crew changes since Trip's encounter with the Xryillians, so most crewmen weren't privileged to that information. Except from Starfleet Medical, who had had a field day with all the data Phlox had gathered. Those who were still around didn't think that such a misfortune could be encountered twice. Even if it had occurred to anyone, he or she hadn't placed a bet in the ship's pool for their Chief's Engineer's misfortune.

The gossip went hand in hand with the looks and dearth of silence every time Trip entered a crowded room, and he was beginning to get quite paranoid about it. It didn't help matters that according to long range sensors the Daladian ship had stopped moving and lay dead in space. To Trip, this could only mean one thing: bad news. The matter caused his anxiety level to go through the roof -- much to the concern of Phlox. Entering Engineering eight hours before they were due to intercept the Daladian ship, T'Pol was determined to do something about this. Asking a crewman for help, she finally found him tuckered away in the far corner, an area he called his office, working on a mass of pads and reports.

Trip looking up when he noticed her coming closer. "Let me guess, Capt'n or Phlox sent ya to check up on me?"

"Neither, it was my decision," T'Pol replied, causing Trip to raise his eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, sorry to disappoint ya, but I've got too much--"

"None of your current tasks are critical or urgent," interrupted T'Pol, taking a pad out of his hand and setting it back down on the desk. "You can finish your work tomorrow. It's time for you to take a break and much needed rest. If you would accompany me, I have dinner waiting in my quarters."

"Dinner and quality time with a beautiful lady?" teased Trip while standing up. "That's one offer I would never turn down."

"As you have often shown, Commander," T'Pol teased right back, making Trip smile and chuckle.

This light hearted banter carried on between them until they had arrived in T'Pol's quarters.

"This is real nice, T'Pol. Thanks," Trip said softly before tuckering into his food. "I know Phlox ordered me to eat regular meals, but it hardly seems worth the effort given how little time that the food stays in there."

"Your symptoms appear more severe this time around," noted T'Pol. When Trip raised his head with a questioning look, she went on. "Your mood swings and sickness have raised some concerns and questions among the crew."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Can't seem to stop myself … I just keep finding myself losing it at the simplest things."

"Would you like to join me for meditation? I doubt it will halt your mood swings, but it would help you to control and to focus your emotions more."

"I'd like that. Thanks."

"Would you like to start now?" T'Pol asked, seeing that Trip had finished his meal. "We could start off with a neuro-pressure session to help relax your mind." Trip's eyes perked up at this, before he knelt down on the mat, like he remembered from their previous session's way back.

T'Pol sat down in front of him. "Relax your posture, Trip," she said before starting to softly ease the tension out of his face, neck, and shoulders. "You have adapted well to your predicament."

"Adapted, how so?"

"As I recall, you didn't handle the concept of being pregnant very well. This time I sense you are more centred with the whole idea."

"Yeah, I know what ya mean. It's weird, being male and all, but it feels like it's the most natural thing going on. Do ya think that our bond could be making me feel this way? Cos since the meld, it feels stronger than before; I've even starting to have those white room dreams again. They're not quite the same as before, since I'm not an active participant this time--."

"It's more like your presence is there," T'Pol interrupted, "but there is something else, an additional aura of serenity that pervades your whole being with the feeling of hope and trust …" Her voice faded as she remembered the scene.

"So you've felt it to," Trip said with a slight smile, bringing her out of this train of thought. "What do ya think it could be?"

"It could be the child," T'Pol suggested. "She may have empathic abilities. The Daladians believe her destiny is to unite her people".

"Hmmm," Trip thought, "that sure would make her job easier." His eyes twinkled slightly when he looked at her. "So how long have you been sensing my presence with ya in the white room?" he ribbed all the while wriggling his eyebrows.

T'Pol showed a bare hint of a smile when she replied. "Lie on your back."

Trip just smirked, and did as he was told.

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Ten

Feeling relaxed and refreshed after a good night's sleep, Trip opened his eyes and stretched his arms with a huge yawn. He was careful not to make any sudden moves, because that always seemed to bring on his nausea quicker. Slowly he turned his head, and noticed a plate with biscuits lying on a small table next to his bed with a slip of paper beside it.

Picking up the note, he read the message inscribed inside and smiled.

_I took the privilege of looking up information regarding human pregnancy. There are several notes that state eating a biscuit first thing in the morning and several small snacks throughout the day will fend off the tendency for nausea. I have taken the liberty of asking Chef to maintain a steady supply in the Mess Hall from now on.  
--T'Pol._

"Oh well, might as well give it a try," Trip mumbled to himself, and reached across and took a bite. Ten minutes later, still no sudden urge to race towards the bathroom had risen up in him. "Well, I'll be darned. Maybe there's something in this after all."

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on an image of him thanking T'Pol. "_If our bond is getting stronger again, she'll definitely get the message_," he thought, as he stood up to get washed and dressed.

------------------------------------------------------

"You look a little perkier this morning," said Malcolm, walking up to Trip in Engineering as he was adjusting some controls on a console.

"Yeah, it's amazing what a few nibbles on a few biscuits can do throughout the day," explained Trip.

Before they could talk more, the comm. interrupted them.

"Archer to all senior staff, report to the Bridge …"

"I'll bet ya anything that's about the Daladian ship," Trip said, as he gave his tools to another crewman with directions on how to finish the job, before they both walked to the nearest turbo lift.

"Good news or bad news?" enquired Malcolm.

"Let's hope good," replied Trip. "I don't even want to think about the consequences of the other option right now."

--------------------------------------------------------

"What have we got, T'Pol?" Archer asked, while indicating Malcolm and Trip, who had just entered the room, to take a seat at the Command Table.

"There are heavy scorch marks and blast damage along the hull; it appears they have been in quite a fire fight," explained T'Pol as she highlighted the areas of damage on the view screen.

"Is anyone alive over there?" interrupted Trip with a worried expression on his face.

"Life support is failing, and I'm not picking up any bio signs, but the heavy damage could be disrupting my sensors," T'Pol replied, her concern for him growing, a she felt his anxiety rising. "There ship appears to be dead in space."

"Malcolm, T'Pol, prepare a boarding party and inform Phlox as well; we're going over there to find out what's gone on." Captain Archer glanced over at Trip. "We'll also look for any … um, additional information they may have left."

"Capt'n!" exclaimed Trip, trying to get Archer's attention as everyone began to file out.

Captain Archer waited till they were alone before answering him. "Sorry, Trip, but I need you on the Bridge."

"But, Sir--

"No! And before you say it, this isn't about your condition. I need someone experienced who I can rely up on the Bridge in case who ever did this decides to come back and pay us a visit."

Trip wasn't happy, but nodded his head in resignation. Now was not the time to lose control, he thought, as he tried to refocus his mind and to tame his raging hormones like T'Pol had taught him.

--------------------------------------------------

Malcolm manoeuvred the shuttle up to the docking hatch and latched onto the seal tight. Donned in their environmental suits, Malcolm, Phlox, Archer, and T'Pol slowly peeled back the hatch and entered the ship.

"Malcolm," directed Captain Archer, "go with T'Pol and find out as much as you can on what happened here. T'Pol, download anything to your scanner that we might find useful. Phlox and I are going to look for Allion and Travella. We've got thirty minutes people; I don't want to hang around here any longer than necessary."  
With that each pair went their separate ways.

--------------------------------------------------

The damage to the ship was massive: sparks bounced off consoles everywhere, beams and jagged pieces of metal draped all over from where they had exploded, and the whole atmosphere was dense with acrid smoke pouring from damaged equipment.

"Thank god Trip is not here to see what happened to all his repair work," Malcolm muttered quietly, as he ducked under a beam. "Although saying that, I'm not sure that's going to be foremost on his mind at the moment."

T'Pol looked at him surprised. "Commander Tucker has discussed his … predicament with you?"

"Errmmm, yeah, the other morning. I kind of caught him during a bad moment, and put two and two together. After that he came clean on what happened."

"I see. You seemed to have responded favourably?"

"I was a bit shocked a first. I mean, talk about getting hit by lightening twice."

T'Pol seemed a bit confused about the metaphor, but carried on listening while she looked around for anything that might have escaped undamaged.

"But then I got angry. I mean, if you think about it, he was violated under our very noses."

"I don't believe Commander Tucker thinks about it in that respect," T'Pol replied. "He seems quite accepting of the matter."

"That is what I'm having a hard time getting around," Malcolm exclaimed. He studied the console in front of him for a moment, and noticed that it still carried power. So he indicated for T'Pol to take a closer look, before he carried on with his vent. "I tried to make him see that he should be angry at what happened, but he just brushed me off as if it was a natural occurrence."

"Personal loss and grief can affect people in many ways, Lieutenant, making you more protective from going through such experience again." T'Pol replied as she connected her scanner and began the download. "I find Commander Tucker's positive attitude and forward view in how he confronted this situation to be honourable and commendable."

"Yeah well, if it were me, I'd blast the buggers into small pieces."

T'Pol just raised her eyebrow. "It seems whoever did this agrees with you."

"I didn't mean it quite as literally though," Malcolm mumbled, and watched T'Pol pick up her communicator. "T'Pol to Captain Archer."

"Archer."

"We have managed to find an undamaged console and are downloading their database now. We will be finished in 4.97 minutes."

"Good. Finish up and meet us back at the shuttle. We've found what's left of Allion and Trevella," said Captain Archer, causing Malcolm and T'Pol to throw each other a concerned look. "Who ever did this made clear what their intentions were; and they were ruthless in putting it across as painfully as possible," Archer said in a sombre voice. "My only concern right now is getting Trip away from here."

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Eleven

After piloting the shuttle back to Enterprise, Captain Archer stepped out, and walked over to the comm. "Archer to the Bridge."

"Bridge here, Capt'n." Trip replied a little nervously.

"I'm sending you the coordinate of our new destination; have Travis plot a direct course and get us away from here."

"Sure thing, Capt'n. Anything else?" Trip asked, trying to gauge an answer as to what they found over there on the Daladian ship.

"Meet me, T'Pol, Reed, and Phlox in the Command Centre. We need to discuss the recent developments before we can decide upon our next course of action."

----------------------------------------------------------

Five minutes later, Trip walked into the Command Centre to a group of quiet and solemn looking faces gathered around the table.

"I take it things weren't pretty over there?"

"You can say that again," Malcolm quietly muttered back as Trip took a seat. "It was a right mess. Who ever did this knew just where to hit them to take out critical systems, and to make the most damage."

"So you're saying it was no accident?" Trip asked.

"Yes," Malcolm answered, "that was no random blast damage. The hits were too precise and accurate. I'd say it was done by someone familiar with their ships and species."

"Could it be those who they were afraid of?"

"We don't know, Trip. Any answer would be speculation on our parts," Archer replied. He wasn't happy with this situation at all; it felt like they were being used as pawns in someone's sick little game -- a game where now an innocent baby and his best friend were in great danger.

"Did ya find out anything from Trevella and Allion?"

"They were dead, Commander," Phlox answered. Then he added quietly: "They were killed in a rather vicious and crude manner." This remark caused Trip to turn rather pale and to clutch at his side, where his growing child was just beginning to show.

Concerned, Archer stood up and walked behind his friend, clutching his shoulders as a sign of support. "T'Pol managed to download some data into her scanner; it might give us an idea of who did this and why."

"So what do we know?" Trip asked in a quiet voice, deeply concerned by the events.

"The logical course of action would be to head towards the coordinates given during the meld, and to try to contact these Guardians."

"Meld? Guardians?" asked Reed, a little confused.

Looking over at Trip, Captain Archer replied, "I'll bring you up-to-date with events later, Lieutenant."

Malcolm glanced at Trip and smiled. "I'm not quite as behind as you may think, Sir, but thank you, it would be appreciated."

Captain Archer nodded to indicate that he understood. He was glad that Trip had confided to one of his friends at least, allowing Malcolm to help him through this.

"T'Pol how long will it take us to reach those coordinates?"

"Ten weeks," T'Pol replied, as she went over the calculations on her scanner. "It would usually take about half that time at Warp 5, but the area of space contains a lot of disruptions and anomalies, so we will only be able to reach Warp 3."

"Keep an eye on sensors at all time; let's hope we can get there without any trouble," replied Captain Archer as they all got ready to leave. "Trip, we're going to need to upgrade communications in order to send a message to the Guardians. I'd like you to get started on that as soon as you can."

"Once we've finished here, I'd like to take Commander Tucker to Sickbay for his daily check-up," Phlox said trying to block the engineer's path out of the room. Looking at Commander Tucker's whole demeanour, he was extremely worried about his health.

"I'm fine." Trip shouted, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. "I need to help T'Pol retrieve the data, then I have to get on with the communications systems."

"Trip … you know about doctor's orders. You can help T'Pol after Phlox is finished checking you over."

"Capt'n …."

"That's an order, Commander," said Archer, sternly. He didn't want to come down hard on Trip, but he also was quite concerned.

Since nearly everyone involved was ganging up on him, Trip reluctantly agreed and followed Phlox back to Sickbay.

-------------------------------------------------

Forty minutes later, Trip walked into the Science Lab to help T'Pol retrieve the data from the Daladian ship.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Trip replied, giving the usual brush off that he used whenever he was asked this question. When she gave him the 'you don't fool me' look though, he shrugged and answered truthfully, "It's the same as usual. Phlox thinks I should rest, put my feet up, and relax since my blood pressure is high again."

"That's good advice."

"Hardly. How can I relax after what happened to Trevella and Allion's ship?" Trip replied, getting worked up again. "I've got a lot on my plate with keeping the engines in good condition so they can make it to those coordinates, and I have to revamp our communication system so we can make contact."

T'Pol walked up beside him, and placed her hands on either side of his shoulders. "You have excellent support staff, Commander. You should rely on them more. I know you see yourself as more as a hands-on Chief Engineer, but at the moment you have more important matters to think about," T'Pol said, looking at where the child was just beginning to show through his uniform. "Protecting her also involves keeping yourself in good condition, not just the ship."

"Why do I get the feeling you're gonna be constantly on my case about that," smirked Trip.

"One of my duties as First Officer is looking out for the crew. I am just performing my duty," she replied, as she stared into his eyes while softly caressing his face.

"I love it when you take your job so literally," said Trip softly, reaching down to gentle caress her lips with his own. Wanting more, T'Pol pulled him closer for a more thorough in-depth exploration of her mouth.

After a few minutes, Trip broke away, "T'Pol, what are we doing?" he questioned.

"I believe you Humans call it making out."

"That's not quite what I meant," chuckled Trip.

Thinking back to one of those old movies that Trip loved to watch when they were together, T'Pol look at him and replied, "I believe we should take it one step at a time."

"So which step is this?" Trip asked before leaning in for another kiss.

"Relaxing the Chief Engineer so he can perform his duties in a more efficient manner," T'Pol teased back, raising her eyebrow and tilting her head with a slight smile.

Much to T'Pol's delight, Trip to burst out laughing.

She had hoped to cheer him up. They looked at each other for a moment, and they concentrated on retrieving the data again.

2 hours later, Trip frowned with frustration. "Well that didn't tell us much."

"Indeed, although we now have a clear picture of what happened on their home world, and why they took up this mission."

"Yeah, but that doesn't help us much, does it?" Trip replied, while pacing the room and running his fingers through his hair. "I … I just feel so damn helpless! They might be out there watching us right now, just waiting to attack--

"Trip," interrupted T'Pol, grabbing hold of his shoulder and stopping him in his tracks. "Stressing over what may or may not happen is not helping you or the child. First of all, this event occurred several days ago, so whoever attacked their ship is long gone by now. Secondly, if the people who did this are the ones Trevella and Allion were running from, then they won't know about Enterprise. The Daladians went through a great deal of effort to delete any trace of our involvement from their ship's database."

"All the attackers would have to do is to scan their ship, then they would discover our modified spare parts in their systems."

"Yes, but it will take time to trace them back to us." T'Pol argued back.

"I can't let them kill her." Trip whispered, feeling a little downhearted. After all the grief and turmoil with Elizabeth, he couldn't deal with losing another child; even if she technically wasn't his.

"I won't let them kill her." answered T'Pol, as she cupped her hands around his face and drew it down beside hers. "We won't let them kill her."

----------------------------------------------------


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Twelve

Nearly three weeks had gone by since Enterprise had left the Daladian ship and headed off on their new course to find the Guardians. They hadn't come into any contact with anyone during this time, and tensions were finally beginning to ease.

-----------------------------------------------------

_Trip stood standing outside the entrance of a huge dark cavern. All around him the atmosphere was eerie and foreboding. He felt frightened, scared, and trapped. He didn't want to go inside because he feared what he would find, but he couldn't stay outside either because then they would catch him. Deep down he knew the solution to everything lay inside that cave, but he could feel his fear welling upside him as he tried to pluck up the courage to go inside. Feeling some trepidation, he stepped forward into the all encompassing blackness._

The moment Trip stepped into the cave, he jerked awake.

Just like the previous couple of nights, he was sweating, breathing heavily, and his heart raced ten to the dozen. Standing up with the aim of calming his frayed nerves, he reached over for a t-shirt, and walked out of his room to the mess hall. He hoped a mug of hot milk and some cookies would calm his nerves.

Phlox was the only one in the mess hall when Trip entered. This wasn't unusual; it was in the early hours of the morning, and Denobulans -- unlike Humans -- required little sleep.

"Couldn't sleep again, Commander?" Phlox asked, making more of an unhappy statement than a question. "How many times is that this week?"

"Too damn many," Trip replied. He

sat down next to Phlox, and ran his hand through his hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the Denobulan asked.

"Not much to talk about, Doc. I'm just having some weird dreams, that's all."

"Well, I do have a degree+ in psychology; maybe I can help interpret what's troubling you?"

Trip threw Phlox a resigned look at first, but then gave in and told the doctor about the dream he had had for the last several days.

"Well, the cavern could be a representation of the future and of the anxiety you are feeling towards that future -- in regards to your situation at the moment," explained Phlox.

"You mean being pregnant?" answered Trip.

"Yes, having a baby can be a stressful situation for anyone, but I would imagine more so with you being male."

"I don't feel anxious about having this baby," Trip replied.

"In fact, I'm quite looking forward to seeing her," he mused as he stared off into space, causing Phlox to cast him a curious look. After a minute, Trip probed Phlox further about his dream: "What about the monster that's chasing me? I mean, it's silly, I've not been frightened of monsters under my bed since I was 5 years old."

"They could be a representation of your subconscious fears,"

probed Phlox.

"Geez, what could I be worried about at the moment?" Trip replied in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"We're running away from brutal killers. Seems quite normal to me."

Phlox didn't quite catch on to Trip's tone, so he carried on. "Are you concerned about the Daladian attackers finding us?"

"It's been a little over 3 weeks, and we haven't seen anyone, so I'm feeling a bit less on edge. I'll be a lot better when we can get in contact with these Guardians though."

Phlox tried another track, "How are you and T'Pol getting on? You seem to be quite close."

"We're fine, and that is all I'm saying on that subject, Doc."

Taking the hint, Phlox asked another question that could be at the root of Trip's sleeplessness. "Are you worried about what the crew is thinking?"

"I was at first," Trip explained. "Especially, after people started catching on that I couldn't fit into my uniform anymore, and when she started showing through the clothes. But I've kinda got used to the funny looks and stares. It just kinda annoys me when I catch slight sniggers behind ma back."

"Has there been much of that, Commander?"

"No, at least not within my earshot," Trip said as he slowly sipped his hot milk. "There was an incident with two stewards a while back, who didn't realize we could hear them when me, Mal and Kelby were grabbing a coffee break.

Stupidly, I got a bit upset and had to leave quickly."

"That's understandable," Phlox comforted.

"Understandable yeah, but still embarrassing. Anyway, while I was trying to convince Mal to not go back and shoot them, Kelby went back and racked them over the coals. He also went and told Chef what had happened, so Chef gave them a roasting also. He had them scrubbing his ovens for the last two weeks with a toothbrush," Trip answered,

shaking his head in surprise.

"You sound surprised."

"I am a bit," exclaimed Trip, "especially after the problems me and Kelby had over the loss of his promotion when I came back from the Columbia. I thought he'd be at the head of the queue in those thinking I'm the laughing stock of the ship."

"You have a lot more friends than you realize, Commander.

Don't ever forget that." Trip just smiled and carried on sipping his drink. "So," exclaimed Phlox, getting back to solving the problem, "are you worried in any way about the child?"

"No," Trip said warily, and then turned the question back on him. "She's healthy enough, isn't she?"

"Very healthy ... and growing fast!" Phlox confirmed.

"Yeah, I know," chuckled Trip, "scared the Capt'n half to death the other night, when I felt her kick. ... Come to think about it, it gave me a shock as well. I didn't realize it would hurt that much."

"Considering you are only about six weeks gone, she is developing at an exponential rate," remarked Phlox, as he watched Trip cover his 'bulge' in a protective manner. "The data T'Pol downloaded from the Daladian ship doesn't infer that this is a natural occurrence for their species, so I have to assume that the rapid growth was genetically coded into the embryo."

Trip didn't look like he was too interested in this train of talk, so Phlox decided to pry deeper into how Trip was feeling. From Trip's whole demeanor and manner regarding the child, he was beginning to suspect that Trip's feelings for the child ran a lot deeper than he was letting on. "Have you given much thought to what's going to happen when we contact these Guardians?"

"What's to think about," replied Trip, in an evasive manner.

"They're gonna transfer her to one of their kind and I'll be free to get on with ma life again."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I feel happy that we've been able to help saving her life," Trip replied, looking everywhere else in the room apart from the one person he was trying to convince. "Anyway, thanks for the chat, Doc, but I'm gonna try and hit the sack again. I think this milk an cookies have finally hit the spot."

"I want to see you in sickbay before your shift starts tomorrow, Commander. Don't forget your regular check up," Phlox reminded him when Trip stood up and walked to the door.

"Sure thing, Doc. Night," waved Trip as he walked out of the room.

"Night," replied Phlox quietly, deep in thought. He was growing quite concerned. Commander Tucker had gone through a lot this year. For the last six months, he had had to deal with the loss of his and T'Pol's child, and this loss had strained their relationship badly. Now, Trip had been violated, and had become pregnant with an alien child because of it. Phlox was concerned that this would drive Trip over the edge. The Commander had accepted unexpectedly the fact with little complaint or worry -- a little too easily, Phlox thought. That may or may not be a bad thing itself, but if Trip still carried some deep issues concerning the loss of Elizabeth, it would make the exchange of this child with the Guardians a lot harder for him to handle on an emotional level. Phlox was praying that it wouldn't be the last card in the deck that would bring the whole house tumbling down.

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	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Thirteen

Three weeks later, with still no sign of trouble, Enterprise rolled into the last leg of their journey. Tiny anomalies and subspace disruptions frequently forced the ship to slow down to Warp 2, so Trip was constantly on hand worrying about the engine. The dreams hadn't stopped either; in fact they had become more pronounced as the monster had revealed itself into a ferocious two headed beast that seemed intent on ripping him to pieces.

Phlox wasn't too happy with this because the child had progressed to just over half way in its development, and Trip was definitely beginning to feel the strain from his lack of sleep, the workload and the pregnancy. Kelby and Hess had both taken a great deal of Trip's responsibilities on themselves in an attempt to relieve the pressure on him, but the stress was still taking its toll on the Commander. Phlox had asked Captain Archer to relieve Trip of duty for the remainder of the pregnancy, but Trip wouldn't hear any of it. He had just thrown an absolute rant at the suggestion.

"No damn way, Capt'n! You can court-martial me if ya want, but I'm not gonna step down now."

"Trip," said Archer, trying to calm his friend down, "Phlox is only looking after your best interests--"

"He's over-reacting as per goddamn usual," interrupted Trip. "He won't be happy until I'm stuck in ma quarters knitting booties! Kelby and Hess have already taken on half of my work at his request; they won't even let me twiddle ma fingers, climb up ladders, or lift up a wrench anymore because they say it's too taxing for me. Please, Capt'n," Trip pleaded, "the only thing I can do at the moment is to fill in reports and to arrange schedules! Don't take that away as well -- I swear, I'll go mad if ya confine me to my quarters for the rest of the mission."

Looking at Trip's sorrowful hound dog expression, Archer just caved and agreed to let him carry on working for the time being. "Alright, but Phlox is going to have my hind for allowing this."

"I probably know which animal he's gonna use to chew it off with as well," laughed Trip, glad that he'd at least won one battle.

---------------------------------------------------

Later that night, however, it looked like all of Trip's good intentions were going to hell in a hand basket. An anomaly had caused severe disruptions to the intermix chamber, and Hess and Kelby were having a hell of a time stopping Trip from climbing in there to sort it out himself.

"Get T'Pol down here now," hissed Hess to Kelby, who was standing besides her looking exasperated as Trip walked off to don an environmental suit.

"Do you think she'll be able to stop him?" Kelby asked, but Hess just threw him a 'this is T'Pol we're talking about, dumb-ass, cause she will' look.

Five minutes later, just as Trip was placing the helmet on his head, T'Pol and Kelby walked into the changing room.

"Commander Tucker, please remove that helmet and suit at once, and follow me outside." It looked like Trip was going to ignore her, so she added: "That is an order, Commander."

With a furious look on his face, Trip did as he was told.

Once he was back in his sweat pants and shirt, he began his protest. "How--

"Please follow me to my quarters; if you are going to have a showdown, we should do it there ... in private." Not waiting for a reply, she turned around and walked off, down the corridor. With steam pouring out of his ears, Trip turned around and followed her.

When they were inside her quarters, Trip let loose with all guns blazing. "Just what the hell do ya think you were doing preventing me from doing my job--

"Getting in there physically and manually doing the work yourself is not part of your duties anymore," interrupted T'Pol in a calm manner.

"I'm the Chief Engineer of this--

"A Chief Engineer who is no longer physically capable of performing that part of his job in his current +situation."

"Will ya stop mothering me and treating me like a child? I can handle--"

"We will stop treating you like a child, when you cease behaving like one," interrupted T'Pol.

This realization hit Trip hard. He had been so frustrated lately that he couldn't believe he had let his selfish desire to 'get in there and get his hands dirty' override his protective nature. He had to remember that his duty was to protect this child at the moment and to deliver her into safe hands. The Chief Engineer part of his life was on hold while he had this mission to complete.

Sensing that all this tension wasn't doing Trip any good, T'Pol carefully held onto his shoulders and pulled him close. "You said you would protect this child," she said softly, "if this is to be achieved, you will have to cease placing yourself in dangerous situations. I know this is difficult, especially when you know you could do the job better and quicker yourself, but you must learn to step aside for now and to rely on your staff. You trained them, so you know they are capable of performing their duties."

Feeling quite dejected, Trip just nodded his agreement.

"Sit down and join me in some meditation. I'll give you a back rub afterwards to ease away your tensions."

"T'Pol, I'm not--"

"Sit, Commander!" T'Pol ordered as she led him towards the meditation mat. "That wasn't a question."

"I thought you said that you'd let me wear the trousers in a relationship," queried Trip with a smirk.

"That is hardly an appropriate course of action in your current situation," teased back T'Pol.

Trip laughed and shook his head. "Ya know, you're really catching on with the humor lark."

"Thank you, Trip. You're an excellent subject to gain practice from."

"Ha, Ha, T'Pol. Very funny," replied Trip as he struggled to sit down in the correct position due to his bump.

"Need I remind you, Trip, that in order to succeed you have to be quiet?"

Trip just rolled his eyes at this, and then closed them at last.

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	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Fourteen

About a week later, just when Captain Archer was finishing off his shift, Lieutenant Parsons looked up from the science station. "Sir, I'm picking up an alien ship on the outer limits of our scanners."

"Are they just sharing the same region of space?"

"They appeared about ten minutes ago."

"Have they noticed us?" asked Captain Archer walking towards him. He had an uneasy feeling about this.

"Possibly," replied Lieutenant Parsons. "Although the ship does seem to be on an intercept course."

"Are they within visual range?"

"Not yet, Sir."

"Can we hail them?"

"No sir, they are out of communication range at the moment."

"How long before they catch up to us?"

"A few days at least; it could be sooner as initial scans seem to indicate that they are capable of higher warp speed than us, but I can't be certain 'till they get closer."

"Keep monitoring their approach and try hailing them once they are in range," said Archer, making his way off the Bridge. "Keep me informed of any changes. I'll be in my quarters."

"Aye, Sir."

--------------------------------------------------

Early the next morning as Trip entered the Bridge, the tension was so thick that you could slice through the atmosphere with a knife. Trip looked at Hoshi and Travis as he took some readings from the engineering console, but they were intent on diverting their eyes to look anywhere but at him. Malcolm fidgeted in his chair while glaring at Captain Archer, as if he was telepathically trying to urge him to say something.

Apparently quite uneasy, Captain Archer stood up and looked over at Trip. "Commander, can I see you for a minute?" he asked, while indicating to his quarters.

"Gimma a sec, will ya. I just wanna--" Trip began, before pausing as he realized their hull plating was raised.

Giving Archer a questioning look, he muttered "sure", and followed him off the Bridge.

"Something I should know?" asked Trip when they arrived inside Archer's quarters.

"I'm just being cautious after everything that's happened, Trip. There's nothing to worry about."

Trip watched him encouragingly, so Archer carried on with his explanation. "We picked up the trail of an alien ship late last night, and then another one about two hours behind them. Both ships seem to be on an intercept course."

"Oh!" replied Trip, sitting down as the color drained completely out of him. "Is it ... could one of them be the same--"

"T'Pol has gone through the Daladians database, and both ships match the specs for the Doradians and the Duordean's." Archer grasped his friend's shoulder in sympathy, before he went on. "We don't know whether they are the ones who attacked them."

"What are ya gonna do?"

"We're going to carry on our stated heading. I don't think there's anything to worry about at the moment since they don't appear hostile, but--" said Archer quickly when Trip tried to interrupt, "I'm not taking any chances; Malcolm's prepped and ready to take direct action against them if it looks like their intentions are going to change."

Trip tried to put across an encouraging face to show that he wasn't too concerned, but Archer looked unconvinced. "Well I'd better be off then. I haven't seen Phlox for ma daily check-up yet. Thanks for keeping me in the loop ..."

Archer nodded, and patted him on the back as Trip turned to go out of the door. "I've had guards posted in Engineering, Trip. If we run into any trouble, I want to make sure you've got protection to back you up."

Trip nodded his thanks, and turned to leave.

Just before he left, Archer spoke up again. "My quarters, eight o'clock tonight," he ordered. "I've already got Chef whipping up a fresh batch of banana and pickle ice cream, so don't be late. You know I can't stand the smell of that stuff for more than five minutes."

"Is that a hint to say you're still not gonna try some?"

chuckled Trip.

"Most definitely not." Archer replied with a smile.

"You don't know what you're missin', Capt'n. It's got a hell of a kick, and the taste is out of this world."

"I'll take your word on that, Trip," he laughed as the door closed. "Banana and pickle ice cream ..." he muttered before pulling a 'yuck' face.

----------------------------------------------------

Later that night

"I've a good mind to sit you on the other side of the room,"

said Archer, wafting his hand in front of his nose to brush away the smell of Trip's favorite snack craving.

"What do ya mean?" replied Trip, pretending to be disgusted.

"It's good for me, Phlox said so."

Archer rolled his eyes, "I don't know how T'Pol let's you near here after eating that concoction."

"Being in love allows you to make sacrifices," replied Trip in a dry tone of voice.

Archer raised his eyebrows to indicate that he didn't believe a word of it.

"Ya got me," Trip smirked. "She orders me to clean my teeth before bed and I spied a tube she'd hidden of that old nasal inhibitor she used to take."

"That makes more sense," laughed Archer, just as the comm. unit started beeping.

Reaching over to answer, "Archer."

"Captain, the Doradian ship has just come within weapons range, and they have their shields raised," stated Malcolm.

"Have you tried to hail them?"

"Numerous times, but they won't answer," replied Malcolm. "They're either ignoring our hails, or they can't understand us.

Preferably, I'd go with the former."

"I'm on my way," said Archer. He jumped to his feet the same time Trip did, and then headed for the bridge together.

----------------------------------------------------

"Report!" Archer shouted once he and Trip had arrived on the Bridge. His tension eased a little, though, when he saw T'Pol crinkle her nose up in disgust at the smell from Trip.

"They are scanning us," replied T'Pol, as she looked through her viewer.

"Captain, do you want us to respond?" asked Malcolm.

"No, let's see what their intentions are first," said Archer.

"They're hailing us," said Hoshi.

"Put them on the view screen, Ensign," replied Archer, sitting down in his chair, while Trip stood behind him and gripped the back edge.

On the screen, the face of an alien came into focus. No word was spoken while he focused on the bridge crew intently, as if he was eyeing up an opponent.

Trip gasped as he recognized the face as one of the two heads of the beast in his dream. Captain Archer noticed this but didn't do or say anything. Instead he sat down and waited for his opponent to speak.

"I am Commander Sonar of the Doradian hierarchy. You are holding the sole heir of one of the ruling families of Doradia. You will return this anarchist and dissident to us immediately."

"You're talking about the unborn child my officer is carrying?" replied Archer, a little confused. "How in any way is an innocent little

girl an anarchist and a threat to you?"

"She represents disruption, encourages dissent and chaos, and disturbs the natural order of our society. She is a threat to our whole way of life."

"In what way?" asked Archer.

"That is none of your concern," Commander Sonar shouted back. "You will hand your officer over to us so that we can remove her and judge her for her crimes. Your crewmen won't be harmed."

"You'll be condemning her to death," interrupted Phlox quite fiercely. "At her current stage of development, she's not capable of surviving outside the womb."

Commander Sonar just threw him a smug look. "You have one hour to comply," he stated before the screen went blank.

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	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Fifteen

Jonathon Archer furrowed his brow. For a moment, he seemed to be deep in thought, but it didn't take him long to make up his mind. "The hell I'll comply," he muttered and motioned to Trip, T'Pol, and Phlox, to follow him to the situation room. Once there the Captain looked at Trip. "Is there something you should be telling me?"

"What do ya mean, Sir?"

"You seemed shocked when you saw him on the view screen."

"Let's just say I've been on the receiving end of his 'judgment' for the last few weeks." Trip's mind drifted involuntarily back to his dream. He saw that T'Pol and Archer were still confused, so Trip explained further. "Remember the nightmare that's been plaguing me the last few weeks?"

"As I explained," Phlox fell in, "your 'nightmare' is just a representation of your subconscious fears, Commander."

"So how come the monster that's tormenting me in my dream has _his _face on one of its heads?" Trip shot back and pointed at the view screen where the image of Commander Sonar had been.

T'Pol remained skeptical. "I find it highly doubtful that it was Commander Sonar."

"Not him exactly, it was more like the image of what his species looked like."

"What does that still help us?" asked Captain Archer.

"Well," Trip began, "Allion did give us the coordinates of the Guardians. What if my dream is just a continuation of that message? Maybe it's showing us who to look out for? How much do ya wanna bet that the people on the other ship behind them are represented by the other head of my dream monster."

"Usually, I would be skeptical too, but all I can say our recent exchange with _Commander Sonar … _is that he means business," said Archer looking at Trip's bump, "and not in a friendly way, when it comes to her"

"We also know that Commander Sonar didn't subject us to the same treatment he applied to the Daladian ship," T'Pol remarked.

"Yet!" Trip shot back.

"What I mean, Commander, is that it is doubtful they gave the Daladians 1 hour to comply with their demands." She raised he right eyebrow suggestively. "We could use this to our advantage."

Jonathon Archer began to grin. "I like your style of thinking, Commander."

Trip studied them cautiously for a moment. "Maybe this pregnancy has muddled ma brain cells, but I'm not sure where you're going with this …"

Before T'Pol could come back with a teasing retort, Archer quickly interrupted her. "Let's just say we're going to play along. We'll stroke his ego for a bit, before blindsiding him out of action."

"Mr. Reed's scan shows that their ship is shielded extensively," T'Pol stated calmly. "We don't have the capacity to put them out of action, Captain."

"Just disabling them temporarily would suffice," Archer replied "We'll have a good chance of getting the hell out of here and closer to reaching the Guardians."

"Sounds good enough to me," said Trip. "I reckon I better get to Engineering and see to it that we'll have as much speed as possible."

"Now you're catching on, Trip." Archer patted his friend on the back, before he turned and walked back to the bridge.

"Malcolm lock our weapons on the other ship's critical systems, and have them standing by. Travis, you may want to get ready for some very fast flying out of here. Hoshi … please get our _friend_ back on line."

"Commander Sonar onscreen, Sir."

"Commander Sonar," Archer said while standing up, "I don't need one hour to make a decision. I have decided to comply with your request … although it goes somewhat against our moral principles."

"I must admit, Captain Archer, I'm surprised by your decision," replied Sonar with a smug look. "I didn't expect a ship of your capabilities to give in so easily."

"When faced with difficult situations like this, our culture lives by the guidelines of sacrificing the one for the good of the many, Commander. Our technology is purely for defensive purposes."

T'Pol raised her eyebrows.

"An interesting motto," mused Sonar.

"We seek only peaceful exploration. Normally we don't interfere with other species, but the Daladians requested our help, unfortunately, and while we were assisting, they violated my officer against his will--"

"That doesn't surprise me, Captain," Sonar interrupted him in a bitter voice. "The Daladians have made a habit of interfering."

"We were searching for them, actually. Have you come across them recently, by any chance?"

"Sonar answered with an evil smirk. "I'm sure I'd remember such an encounter if we had."

"I bet you would, you smug bastard," murmured Archer to himself as he walked up to Travis. He didn't like this guy at all; his demeanor exuded that Sonar was dangerous and not to be trusted.

Archer smiled at the alien. "We're dropping to impulse. Why don't you move your ship alongside us and prepare to dock at the aft hatch? I'll have my Engineer and Doctor standing by for boarding."

"We don't need your doctor for the procedure."

"Just a precaution," Archer smiled. "You probably aren't familiar with our species. Our doctor can help should any difficulties concerning my officer's health arise."

Commander Sonar nodded to indicate that he understood.

"Would you like to come over for a tour and some dinner?" Archer went on.

"I'm sorry, but we're anxious to depart and to get on with our journey," replied Sonar, and simply cut off the transmission.

"I wonder why?" muttered Archer with a hint of sarcasm, after the view screen had gone blank. "Malcolm, when we're within 100 meters of their ship, hit them with everything we've got. Travis as soon as torpedoes have been fired, hit the gas and get us out of here fast."

Lieutenant Reed grinned. "You aren't quite playing by the rules, Sir, but I like your style."

"I have the impression Sonar won't play by the rule book either," replied Archer, "and I not prepared to let him get the upper hand when Trip's life is at stake."

"Coming up to 100 meters, Sir," stated Travis, staring intently at his console.

"Malcolm?"

"Phasers locked and torpedoes standing by, Sir," replied Malcolm, his finger hovering over the firing lock.

Archer hit the button on his chair that would activate the comm. "Trip, stand by to give us maximum speed."

"I can give ya Warp 3.5, but we won't be able to hold that for long if we come near any of those anomalies."

"We'll try to make it quick," Archer smirked before signing off.

Next he turned to Hoshi. "Have you and Trip finished the upgrades to the Comm. System?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Then start hailing the Guardians on the frequency T'Pol gave you as soon as we're on our way."

"But we're not at the given coordinates yet, Sir?"

"It can't be helped Ensign. Let's hope they've received Trellian and Allion's message, then they might be searching for us already."

"100 meters, Sir," shouted Travis through the tense atmosphere on the Bridge. "The Doradian ship is firing its thrusters in order to maneuver over to our docking hatch.

"Now, Malcolm," shouted Archer, and Reed let loose with the phasers and torpedoes instantaneously. It was only a moment before the Lieutenant braced himself and gave Travis the signal to ignite the engines. The Enterprise jerked slightly, and jumped to Warp speed.

"All hits were on target," Reed smirked, rather pleased with himself as they sped away. "They won't be troubling us for a while. I bet this wiped the smile off that smug bastard's face."

Archer grinned, relieved that they had gotten out of what could have been a dangerous situation. "I'd love to see that, but I don't think it's worth risking another encounter. We probably not his favorite people right now and."

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	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Sixteen

Engineering

About four hours later, Trip contacted the Bridge to inform them that they had to reduce speed because of massive strain the engines were under. Archer agreed reluctantly to drop to Warp 2.5, although that was still faster than Trip would have liked. The engines couldn't take much more; Enterprise had already built up a good distance from the Doradian ship, which hadn't moved far after being their heavily engaged by the Duordeans once Enterprise had escaped.

Trip was on the small bridge way, inputting commands into the front engine when Kelby, who was monitoring the port injector console nearby, anxiously shouted for his attention and help. "Sir, pressure is mounting again!"

Trip glanced over with a concerned look on his face, and saw Kelby trying frantically to keep the situation under control. "Anna, take over here while I give Kelby a hand," he called over to one of his trusted aids, before climbing down to join Kelby. Suddenly steam began to billow out of the ventilation shafts … a blow out was close. "Keep an eye on that antimatter stream," Trip shouted to a nearby crewman, and quickly activated the comm to inform the Bridge of their situation.

"Tucker to Bridge!"

"We're losing speed, Trip. What's happening down there?" shouted Archer.

"What's happening? The port injectors are about to blow up; that's what is happening," Trip shouted back. "It looks like we might have--"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. One of his crewmen yelled a "Sir, look out!" through the room, and then a loud explosion rippled though the ship and brought _Enterprise_ to a sudden halt.

On the Bridge, Archer, T'Pol, and Malcolm leapt out of their seats with horrified expressions on their faces, and raced to the turbo lift.

--------------------------------------------

It was early the next morning. Captain Archer walked into Engineering to find out how the repairs were progressing after yesterday's accident.

T'Pol was supervising the repairs. "How's Trip?" she asked him, once he entered the room. Captain Archer threw the Vulcan a questioning look, as if she would have more of an idea about that than he had, so T'Pol added, "I haven't seen him since he regained consciousness."

"Same here," replied Captain Archer, as he surveyed the room. "Phlox just started allowing visitors. I was about to go to Sickbay after finishing here."

"The most vital repairs are complete, Captain. We have Warp drive again, although our speed is limited to Warp 2."

"Damn!" replied Archer in frustration. "Lieutenant Reed has picked up the Duordean ship. At their present speed, they'll catch up with us by tonight."

T'Pol considered this information for a moment. "Lieutenant Hess thinks we could reach Warp 2.5, but only at a significant risk.

Archer doubted that they could surprise the Duordeans a second time. Getting caught after pulling off that stunt was definitely not a good idea. "Just do it, we have no choice."

"Have we heard anything from the Guardians yet?" asked T'Pol

"No, not a damn peep," said a rather dejected Archer. "I hate to say it, but I fear our luck might have run out. I really don't see how we can stop them from getting their hands on Trip."

"It is unusual for a Vulcan to reassure a Human, Captain, but on this occasion I believe citing an old Human saying would be appropriate: They will have a hell of a fight getting through us first."

"Thanks, T'Pol," smiled Archer, tapping her on the shoulder as he turned to leave Engineering. "I'll let Trip know that you were concerned about him."

"He already knows, Captain," replied T'Pol dryly as she turned away to look at her pad.

Archer just shook his head on the way out.

-------------------------------------------------------

Five minutes later, Archer quietly entered Sickbay. Phlox was working quietly off to one side, while screens covered the two bio beds on the other side. Phlox indicated for Archer to be quiet as he walked over. "How's Trip?" the Captain asked, looking concerned.

"Some cracked ribs, a broken arm, and a concussion," said Phlox, in a matter-of-fact way. "Under normal circumstances, his injuries wouldn't be too serious, but in his condition, I can't take any chances. I'll have to keep him confined to Sickbay for the next few days to monitor him."

"What about the child?"

"I was afraid she might have been injured severely in an accident like that, but surprisingly she's unharmed. She seems quite resilient ..."

"Does Trip already know about Kelby?" asked Archer, interrupting Phlox's train of thought.

"It was one of the first things he asked when he woke up. He was quite distressed; I had to give him a sedative to calm him down."

Suddenly, a quiet voice could be heard from behind the screens.

"Captain?"

Archer smiled. "Thanks, Phlox," he said before stepping into the curtained cubicle.

"You can't stay long, Captain," called Phlox. "He needs his rest."

Archer nodded to Phlox, and then looked at Trip. "Hey how are you doing?"

"A few bruises … aches and ma shoulder aches a lot, but it could have been worse," said Trip.

He was obviously still unsettled. After he spoke, he glanced at the curtained-off where Kelby's dead body lay.

"T'Pol's really concerned about you," said Archer trying to divert Trip's attention. "She hasn't actually admitted it but we can all know."

Trip smiled. "She keeps trying to send calming thoughts and messages ma way, but ma mind's just keeps filling with images of Kelby … and what happened." His bloodshot eyes began to mist over again as he glanced over at the curtained off area again. "He saved ma life, Cap'n," Trip said quietly.

"I know, Trip," said Archer, trying to comfort his friend as he perched on the edge of the bed and gripped his hand. "Phlox did everything he could, but Kelby took the brunt of the explosion. He was too badly injured."

"Did ya know that he'd just been offered the post of Chief Engineer on the new NX03?"

"Yes, Admiral Gardener mentioned it last week.

Trip swallowed hard. "He really wanted that promotion – and he really deserved it. Kelby worked so hard for the last six months … he deserved that chance!"

"Trip, all that counts right now is that you are okay, and that the baby is okay."

Trip swallowed again. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost her too," he brought out and placed his hands protectively around his bump.

"Get some rest," said Archer quietly, patting Trip's hand gently, "I'll see you later."

"Thanks, Capt'n," replied Trip, settling himself back down onto the pillow in a more comfortable position.

Captain Archer walked away feeling chills inside of him. He knew that Trip was protective about the child, but he hadn't realized up till now just how attached he had become.

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	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Seventeen

Even at Warp 2.5, the chase was on as the Duordean ship drew closer and closer to its prey. Their shields allowed them to travel fast in this area of space. Archer had posted MACO guards all over the ship already, especially in Sickbay. Malcolm had even sneaked two phase pistols in there for Trip and Phlox to defend themselves with.

"Report!" shouted a frustrated Archer on the Bridge, as he watched the Duordeans draw closer within the hour. They had fired a few stray shots at Enterprise, but fortunately they weren't within weapons range yet. Malcolm thought they were just testing the waters and making their intentions clear.

"Still closing, Captain," stated Travis.

"Have we tried hailing them?"

"Numerous times, Captain. They're ignoring us," replied Hoshi.

The ship shuddered from a shot that skimmed their Warp field.

"They are targeting our port nacelle," shouted Malcolm, "and that one was too close for comfort."

"Travis?" urged Archer, hoping the Ensign could pull more piloting brilliance out of his pocket.

"I'm trying evasive maneuvers, Sir," replied Travis as another shot found itself on target. This time, it had hit the nacelle, and brought _Enterprise _to a sudden halt.

When three figures began to materialize on the Bridge, Lieutenant Reed grabbed the two phasers he had hidden under his console. "We're being boarded," he shouted, threw one of them to Captain Archer, and opened fire. In a matter of minutes, three unconscious aliens lay flat on the floor. Archer glanced over at Reed, who smirked back with a 'you know me, I'm always ready for action' expression on his face. He nodded his appreciation for his Armory Officer's prompt thinking, and then both men turned their attention to what was happening in other areas of the ship.

"There are boarding parties in Main Engineering, the Armory, on C deck, and the cargo bays on E deck," said Malcolm, scanning the information on the read-out screen. "The MACO's have them contained in the Armory and on E deck, but Engineering could use some help."

"What is the Duordean ship doing?"

"They have dispatched shuttles to Launch Bays 1 and 2." replied Malcolm.

"Notify the MACO's to be ready to greet them when they arrive," ordered Archer, while already on his way to the turbo lift. "We can't do anything from here, Lieutenant. We should go to Engineering and help T'Pol."

"Already on my way," confirmed Reed, and ran to join the Captain in the lift.

----------------------------------------------------

Having arrived in Engineering, Archer and Reed gauged that T'Pol and her crew, were pinned down towards the rear. The engineers faught bravely, but didn't have the experience to hold out for long. Three intruders held them at bay with phaser fire, while two others were busy attaching an alien device to the engine core.

"Malcolm," whispered Archer, and indicated for Reed to attack the two aliens at the engine core, while he would attack the others from the catwalk. The Lieutenant nodded, so Archer quietly sneaked up along the top of the catwalk. Once in position, he managed to take out two of the intruders with a sudden burst of phaser fire. The remaining alien sprung to his feet in surprise, and instantly got hit by a shot from T'Pol. Almost at the same time, Malcolm opened fire at the other two. Archer flinched when he realized that Lieutenant Reed was, essentially, shooting at their engine core. Each of Reeds shots hid dead centre though, and so they had regained control of Engineering. Reed stormed towards the engine core to take a look at the present the aliens had left.

"Can you tell what it is?" Archer wondered in an alarmed tone.

"Yes," the Lieutenant replied calmly. "It's an incendiary device, and it is active."

Archer was clearly alarmed. "Can you disarm it?"

"I understand the design …" replied Reed as he looked over the device cautiously, to see if there were any obvious triggering mechanisms. Then he started scanning the object. "Ah!" Reed remarked.

Archer was unnerved. "What?"

"Just a minute, Sir … nearly done … just need to disconnect this wire and … there," Reed said with a smile, "it shouldn't give us any problems now."

"Sonar really does mean business," sighed Captain Archer and relaxed somewhat. He walked over to the comm to find out what the status on the rest of the ship was.

"Hmmm," said Reed, as he examined the inside of the device.

Archer spun round. "Is there a problem?"

"This device would hardly make a dent to our engine core, Captain. The explosive component is about as dangerous as a fire cracker."

At first, Archer thought this was good news, but then a terrible insight began to form in the back of his head. T'Pol, who had walked over to the engine core to see the device for herself, spoke it out first.

"Maybe this device is meant to create a diversion?"

The three officers looked at each other for a moment, and then a look of horror flashed across their faces.

Captain Archer almost leapt to the next comm station. "Archer to Phlox!"

There was no answer.

The three of them began to race towards Sickbay, but when they arrived they found the three MACO's Malcolm had posted lying prone on the floor with phaser wounds on their chests. Sickbay was in chaos. Instruments and animal cages were strewn about the floor; Phlox was lying in a corner, unconscious from a phaser blast to his midriff. The alien intruders were still there. One of them had Trip pinned to the wall, his hand clasped around his neck with an iron grip. Just as Archer was about to scream for him to release his friend, the Duordean sneered an evil smile, and then he and Trip were transported away.

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	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Eighteen

Trip was angry because of his treatment by the Duordean's and not being able to do anything about it frustrated him. He felt vulnerable and he was scared for his child's welfare. After being transported off The Enterprise, the Duordean had dragged him down a hallway into a cold medical room that contained a single bio table with numerous weird looking instruments scattered around it. Despite putting up a good struggle, he was lifted up, and tied down to the table with straps that ran around his head, arms, and legs. One of the Duordean then proceeded to remove his shirt and to take scans of the child inside of him. This went on for about ten minutes before the alien put the scanner away, gave Trip a smirk, and withdrew himself from the room.

That was three hours ago and no one had entered the room since. From the sound the engines made, Trip could tell that the ship had gone to Warp. He could only hope that Enterprise was on their trail. He tried focusing on his bond with T'Pol, but his emotions were too much in turmoil -- he just couldn't relax and concentrate properly. "Damn," he thought as he fought hard against his bonds, then he yelled in a very frustrated tone: "Hey! you goddamned sons of bitches, untie me!" Nobody answered or came, but that didn't stop him from carrying on nevertheless. Just when he thought he would go hoarse, two Duordeans entered the room and began scanning him some more and checking him over with various instruments.

"Ain't ya going to say anything before ya callously murder an innocent?" asked Trip, trying to stall for time.

The two Duordeans just ignored him.

"Does killing come so easy for your species that you can just easily brush it aside without a second thought? Don't you care whether it's right or wrong?"

"We have a right to defend our way of life," explained one of the Duordeans, while the other one carried on in an uncomfortable silence. "The Daladians had no right to interfere."

"They were brought in as an intermediary to prevent you guys from blowing yourselves up. Or would you have preferred they had left you to wipe yourselves out?"

"We don't need the Daladians help, especially when we were winning this war," smirked the Duordean.

Feeling that time was slipping away, Trip decided on a different approach. "You'll be killing one of your own! Can't you see how wrong this is?"

"She's not one of ours; she's a half breed, a disease that must be eradicated if our culture is to survive."

"How can you be so heartless? You're talking about her as if she's some thing. She's a living, breathing entity that deserves a chance of life," replied Trip in frustration while struggling uselessly.

"Not for long," smirked the Duordean. He quietly gave instructions to the other man, before turning to leave the room.

"I won't let you kill her," shouted Trip in anger.

"You won't have much choice in the matter," sneered the Duordean as he left.

"Please, think about what you're gonna do," said Trip in desperation to the other Duordean, as he watched the alien pick up a rather nasty instrument and came over to him.

The Duordean refused to look or answer; he calmly put his hand over the 'bump' and placed the instrument next to the skin as if he was initiating a surgical procedure.

"No!" Trip screamed in terror. He struggled with all of his strength as the Duordean raised his instrument in the air, as if aiming to puncture the skin and rip her life out of Trip's body.

Suddenly, it seemed as if all of Trip's intense emotions rose sharply to the surface and converged into a shimmer of energy, which enveloped the Duordean's hand and arm. Only it wasn't Trip's doing. Somehow he could sense that the child was using his rage, fear, terror, and sheer protective strength of will towards her and combined them into an energy source to protect herself. An inner feeling of serenity seemed to surge from within the child in Trip's body and while the light proceeded to envelope the Duordean entirely, until it pervaded the Duordean's whole being, causing both him and Trip to gasp in shock, convulse, and then fall apart.

--------------------------------------------------

Trip didn't know how long he'd been unconscious. All he knew was that he felt drained; he didn't have a single zap of strength left in his body. By sheer will, he forced his eyelids open and took in his surroundings. Trip wasn't sure what he had expected to see, but what he saw was the same as before … only somehow the Duordean seemed different. He looked the same, but his demeanor had changed. He seemed to radiate an inner peace. It also looked like the alien was untying the straps that fixed Trip to the table. Just as Trip was about to say something, the Duordean looked at him and putt his finger over Trips lips to indicate that he wanted him to be quiet.

"Come, you will be okay now," he said with a huge smile. "I will protect you."

"Why are you doing this?" Trip asked, not sure whether to trust the guy. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm the only one on this ship who's got her best interests at heart," the Duordean said with conviction. "I had a vision of clarity. She showed me the true path for our people, gave me a vision of an united planet where Duordeans and Doradians work and live together in peaceful coexistence that I never thought would be possible. I want to reach out, and grasp that future. My people will see that once they've experienced what I just did. She deserves the chance to make it possible for all of our sakes, because I don't think we stand a chance without her," he muttered quietly.

"Can you help me get outta here and contact ma ship?"

"That wouldn't be a good idea: communications are monitored closely, any signal would be detected immediately. But I can help you into one of our escape pods. Once you've left this ship, you should be able to contact them yourself."

"I thought they'd detect that immediately?" said Trip.

"Not if I create a diversion and disable some of the systems first," smiled the Duordean as he walked towards the door. Realising that Trip hadn't joined him yet, he turned back around. "Come on, we've got to get moving."

"I just want to say thanks for your help," said Trip. "In case I don't get a chance to say that later. I really appreciate what you're doing for us."

"I should be thanking you," replied the Duordean. "Without your help, she wouldn't have a chance to live, and my people wouldn't have a chance of a future."

"Call me Trip," smiled Trip, holding out his hand to the alien.

"Nice to meet you,Trip. I'm Bree," the Duordean replied with a smile, and shook his hand. "Now let's get you to that escape pod."

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	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Nineteen

"Travis, what's our status?" asked Archer, sitting perched on his chair after T'Pol had chided him for his relentless pacing around the Bridge. Emotions were heightened enough after Trip's sudden disappearance from Sickbay, and Archer's display of anxiety for his friend wasn't helping the crew's stress levels.

Lieutenant Reed had managed to get the nacelle repaired in record time, and T'Pol quickly picked up the Duordean ships Warp trail on sensors. The Duordean ship could achieve higher Warp speed due to her superior shielding, so Enterprise wasn't getting any closer to her quarry at first. Fortunately though, the Duordeans there ship had slowed sown to half their previous speed for unknown reasons, which had allowed Enterprise to catch up considerable.

"We're still more than ninety minutes behind, Sir," replied a dejected Travis.

"Damn!" muttered Archer and slammed his hand down on the edge of his chair. He was at a loss what to do. They were going at their top speed, but still they could hardly catch up with the Duordeans. He glanced over to T'Pol, stood up cautiously and walked towards her as she threw him an exacerbated glare. "T'Pol, can you--"

"As far as I can ascertain, he's not in any pain at this current time. It is safe to assume that the Commander is unharmed," interrupted T'Pol, guessing what was concerning the Captain. "Although, he is feeling agitated and very afraid."

"This bond is supposed to be a two-way thing," enquired Archer. "Can you communicate with him? Let him know that we're on their trail?"

"Under normal circumstances, that would be the case," replied T'Pol, "but at the moment his emotions are heightened. Any form of communication is extremely difficult to attain in his current state of mind."

Archer just nodded to indicate that he understood, and returned to sit down. He could tell that she was just as concerned for Trip's safety as he was. Vulcan's may not show their emotions, but he could see that T'Pol's whole demeanor exuded just as much frustration and anxiety for her mate as they all felt.

-----------------------------------------------------

On the Duordean ship, Bree and Trip's flight to the escape pods had gone undetected so far. Bree had managed to sabotage the ship's internal sensors and engines, causing them to slow down considerably. Something that Trip was grateful for, because it would give Enterprise a chance to catch up with them.

"That was quite something you did back there," said Trip quietly, impressed by Bree's engineering trick. "Do ya get a call for that often," he joked, trying to lighten the mood as they slowly crept along close to the bulkheads.

"Actually, yes," replied Bree in a serious tone. "It's a standard technique we use when infiltrating enemy territory for hit and run attacks."

"Oh!" Trip replied, silently cursing himself for putting his foot in proverbial mouth.

A minute later, they finally arrived at the escape pods.

"Here," the Duordean said, "climb in while I go to the control room to make sure no one notices the launch. Don't release the hatch until I give you a signal saying it's safe to do so."

"Are you going to be okay? After doing this, I mean. I wouldn't want ya to place yourself in danger."

"Don't worry about me, Trip," said Bree, placing his hand on Trip's shoulder. "You've given me hope, something I'd lost a long time ago."

After thanking his newfound ally, Trip climbed into the pod, closing the hatch tight and waited for Bree to indicate that it was safe to release.

Twenty minutes went by like this, but still there was no signal from Bree. "Damn," thought Trip, growing concerned that something had gone wrong. He realized he was now faced with a dilemma. Should he carry on waiting here for Bree's signal and risk being discovered -- which was a high possibility if Bree had indeed been caught --, or should he release the hatch and risk discovery because Bree hadn't disabled the external sensors yet?.

Trip bit his lip and decided that he stood a better chance off this vessel. He took a final scan of the controls, reached up, and punched the release button, before bracing himself for the rough turbulence that occurred when the shuttle left the escape pod dropped out of the Duordean ship's Warp field.

Trip waited several moments to make sure he was clear of the Duordean ship, before firing up the pod's impulse drive. He didn't dare yet to transmit a comm message to Enterprise, because he feared the signal would be picked up by the Duordeans, so his only other option was trying to focus hard on his bond with T'Pol, and hope that he could communicate with her. Sitting as comfortably as he could in the tiny space, he calmed his breathing, and tried to relax. Trip closed his eyes, and concentrated on the sole shining star that shone forever brightly in his heart, soul and mind.

"Please, T'Pol, if our bond is getting stronger and ya can hear me, I'm in an escape pod leaving their ship. You have to find me as fast as ya can, darling, I need ya."

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Back on Enterprise

T'Pol was concentrating hard. She focused on the bond between her and her mate. Even though their renewed relationship had strengthened the link, telepathic communication was not yet easily accomplished. She envisioned Trip's presence in the white room with her. She tried to share her thoughts and feelings with him, trying to calm him down with her presence. She could tell that Trip's fear had tempered off since earlier, when he'd been taken, but it was still unusually high. For a moment, T'Pol worried about Trip's blood pressure. Phlox had stressed that this problem could become a quite a serious threat for the pregnancy if it went unchecked, so it was vital that she helped him out in whatever way she could. That would have been so much easier, if she would be able to talk to him in the tranquil setting of the white room, but since that wasn't possible, she focused on channeling calming thoughts his way.

This had been going on for a few hours now, and T'Pol was exhausted, but she refused to give up until Trip was safely back on board. She was beginning to get a bit confused as she kept seeing faint images of him in a sitting position, apparently meditating.

Her fingers still rested on the sensor controls from earlier, when she had been tracing the Duordean ship's warp trail, and suddenly she felt a strange urge to update the scans to recalibrate the sensors for a more precise display. She couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary, but still she looked puzzled because she felt that something was amiss and somehow it was connected to her vision of Trip.

"T'Pol?" questioned Archer as he walked towards her console. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm uncertain, Captain," replied T'Pol as she leaned into her scanner for another look, before leaning back with a puzzled look on her face.

"Has they altered course?" asked Archer.

"No," she replied, before leaning back and pondering for a few minutes. "I believe, though, that we should alter ours." With that, T'Pol pointed at a position about 5 light years away from their current position.

"Why there?"

"I can't describe it, Captain. I keep getting a visual of Trip meditating in a very small environment, some sort of small ship. I believe it is vital we alter our course for that heading. You might call it intuition."

"Do you thing you think Trip could be trying to communicate with you?" queried Archer.

"It's a possibility, Captain," she replied, each looking at the other with a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Normally, Archer wouldn't take the chance and go off on a tangent based on a hunch, but he trusted T'Pol. He knew that deep down she cared for Trip -- loved him even. She would never recommend anything that would place his life in jeopardy or danger. So if she believed that Trip had escaped and was now at those coordinates, then he was damn sure going to trust her judgment.

With a slight nod of acknowledgment, Archer turned to give Travis new orders. "Travis, change our course to these new coordinates."

"Captain," said T'Pol with some urgency.

"What's wrong?" enquired Archer.

"The Duordian ship has changed course to the same coordinates. ETA is 45 minutes."

"Hess," replied Archer, almost shouting into the comm because of his rising concern, "I don't care what you have to do, but we need our speed increased _now_. We've got to reach those coordinates before they do."

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	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Twenty

Trip was brought suddenly out of his mediation by a beeping noise coming from the navigation panel. A ship was closing on his position.

"Please let this be the Enterprise," he prayed. The shuttle only had the basic instruments to navigate with, so he had no way of finding out who it was.

"Damn!" he muttered, when a phaser blast fired just wide of the craft, causing the pod to shake and him to lose his balance, hitting his arm on the side of the console. "Tucker's luck strikes out again. Just for once, can't things go my way for a change?" he muttered as another shot was fired a lot closer this time.

Afraid for his life and the life of his child, and knowing that it didn't matter one way or the other now, he hit the comm channel to see if he could get a distress message to Enterprise.

"Enterprise! Enterprise, this is Commander Tucker. If you can hear me, please get to these coordinates as fast as ya can, because I don't think this pod can hold out for long in this onslaught." He pressed a button on the panel to repeat the message, then clung on to the console for his dear life. "Where's Malcolm when ya need him?" he mumbled, as another shot found its target, throwing him hard against the side of the shuttle.

With his heart racing, he picked himself up and wiped his hand across his brow. After pulling it back, his fingers were covered in a deep crimson stain. Trip closed his eyes, while pressing his hand against his bump. "Sorry," he thought, and tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes. "Looks like this is it, kiddo. They're taking no chances this time, they're doing it the quick, easy, and messy way. I wish I could have met ya. I bet you, me, and T'Pol would've made one hell of a team."

Again, just like the time when Bree had tried to kill the child back on the ship, it felt like all of his intense emotions of fear, anger, and sadness were building up inside. Fueled, it seemed, by every ounce of strength and energy left in his body, they converged into one huge eruption of light, which surged outward from his body and surrounded the craft like a protective cocoon. "Damn!" he gasped as his body rocked with convulsions. "I wish ya'd give me some warning before ya do that trick," he thought, before giving way to the all encompassing darkness.

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Back on Enterprise

"How much longer?" shouted Archer, clinging to his chair with his eyes fixed on the view screen, watching the image of a small pod that was being pounded by phaser blasts slowly grow bigger and bigger.

"A few more minutes before we're in weapons range, Sir," shouted back Reed as his fingers hovered tensely over the triggers.

"Hold on, Trip," muttered Archer, feeling frustrated and helpless at seeing his friend in what looked like such a hopeless situation.

"By all rights, he shouldn't have lasted this bloody long," said Reed, wondering just what the hell was protecting the pod from those blasts.

"Let's not tempt fate, Malcolm," replied Archer, unwilling to admit that the same thoughts were crossing his mind as well.

"Weapons are locked on their shields and engines; we are coming into range now, Sir," shouted look, with an eager look in his eyes.

"Fire at will, Lieutenant," ordered Archer, as Malcolm let loose a volley of torpedoes. "Hoshi, use the grappler to get that pod into our shuttle bay, and get Phlox down there in case Trip needs help," he said, looking at T'Pol for some sort of clue as to Trip's condition. Their anxiety increased as she looked back at him, shaking her head to indicate that she couldn't sense Trip no more.

-------------------------------------------------------

The sound of the clamps hitting their target told Hoshi that her aim had been good. Then she could see the pod being reeled in on screen. "Target locked and being brought home," she shouted. They had barely pulled the pod in, when Travis broke away from the incoming fire in a wild maneuver, but still one torpedo hit their starboard nacelle and put a sudden stop to their escape.

"Malcolm!" shouted Archer, as the ship rocked with explosions which, caused ruptures in three junctions on the bridge.

"Goddamn it, I want bloody shields like they have," screamed Malcolm in frustration, and sent forth another volley that didn't seem to dent their shields in any way. "It's like shooting rubber bullets at a brick wall!" he shouted, slamming his fist into his console.

Just as Captain Archer was about to reply, a huge anomaly ruptured in front of them, and threw both ships backwards.

"Hang on!" screamed Captain Archer as the ship veered on the port side, which caused each of them to be thrown from their seats. Just when it seemed that the Enterprise was going to spin out of control, everything stopped. The ship somehow righted itself, and hung limply in space as if it had been caught in a huge, powerful tractor beam. The crew picked themselves up off the floor, and watched the Duordean ship on the view screen spin violently off into a distance before a huge explosion tore it apart. With shocked expressions on their faces, they realized that the Enterprise was riding upwards into the belly of a starship about ten times their size.

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	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Twenty One

Archer looked up and broke the quiet, eerie atmosphere on the Bridge. "I think we've found the one's we're looking for."

"Let's hope these are finally the good guys," cautioned Malcolm.

"They did save us from the anomaly, Lieutenant," said Hoshi, a little wary after everything that had just happened.

"Considering how they caused the damn thing in the first place, Ensign, I'd be careful to be too optimistic," Malcolm answered back, a little more roughly than he had intended. He was frustrated at continually getting their asses served to them on a platter.

"Have they contacted us? Or answered our hails?" asked Captain Archer, interrupting the banter between his two officers with a stern look.

Hoshi shook her head, indicating that no contact had been established.

"Captain," said T'Pol, diverting Archer's attention back, "while Ensign Sato is monitoring communications, maybe we should go down to Sickbay and check Commander Tucker's condition?

Captain Archer nodded. Normally, he wouldn't leave the Bridge under these circumstances, but the look in T'Pol's eyes and a slight hint of anxiety in her vocal afflictions had told him that she had a reason to be concerned. He indicated for Lieutenant Reed to take over the Bridge.

Archer and T'Pol were on their way to the Turbo lift when Reed suddenly jumped up from behind his console. "There is an unknown energy source showing in Sickbay," he said as he reached for his phase pistol and raced towards the Turbo lift. "I believe my position as Security Officer warrants that I join you."

"Travis!" Archer said just for a minute before the Turbo lift door closed, "you have the Bridge."

-----------------------------------------------------

Archer, T'Pol, and Reed raced into Sickbay, but were brought to a sudden halt by the sight of a small woman examining Trip on the central bio bed with Phlox standing calmly besides her, watching her every move.

"Report!" Archer shouted with anxiety in his voice.

"Are you are the Captain of this vessel?" asked the woman.

"Yes, and you are?"

"I am a Guardian, and my name is Malandria. I'm the protector of this child."

"I'm glad to be making your acquaintance, at last. Thanks for saving our lives back there."

"Oh, there is no need to thank me. It was unfortunate, but necessary. Her life was in danger, and my duty is to protect her at all costs."

Malcolm threw Captain Archer a sideways glance, before mumbling in a quiet voice: "Why do I get the impression that we would have been part of that pyrotechnic display if we hadn't reeled the pod in first?"

"You are correct," Malandria answered, in a matter of fact voice, "I make no allowances or concessions for anyone in the protection of her life. Wouldn't you say that is what _our _duty entails?" she said, looking him straight in the eye as if she was staring right into his heart, mind and soul.

"Touché," replied Malcolm, staring right back.

"Your ship seemed immune to the danger from the anomalies?" said T'Pol, trying to diffuse the tense situation building up between Lieutenant Reed and the Guardian.

"Yes," answered Malandria, before returning to her task of assessing Trip's and the child's condition. "We use them for navigation."

"Interesting," T'Pol said, absently minded while wondering for moment over the technicalities such a feat would involve.

"I wish we'd known," said Captain Archer, "our journey might have been shortened considerably and Trip's life might not have been in danger."

"Unfortunatly Trevella and Allian were prevented from passing on the full message," she said, "had circumstances been different, you would have been found known you only had to proceed to an area of space near an anomaly and direct a signal into it. We would have been able to trace the message and find you a lot quicker." Turning to Phlox she carried on, "I'm afraid his condition forces us to remove the child immediately. We have to transfer him immediately to our medical facilities; there we can sustain without any danger--"

"What do you mean, with 'his condition'?" interrupted Archer, looking first at Phlox, then Malandria.

The alien woman smiled an odd smile, before she explained. "The child is using your crewman's life force to sustain herself. At the moment, she is stable but his body grows weaker continuously, and soon her life will be in jeopardy. We must remove her to prevent that from happening. We will transfer him to our medical facilities so we can perform the procedure. He won't be in danger, I assure you," she said, looking at Captain Archer who didn't appear to be happy at all. "After the procedure, he'll be returned to your facilities where he can recover, so we can commence on our journey--"

"You are just going to take her and leave? Just like that? Without even letting Trip see her or hold her?"

"My duty is to protect this child, nothing else. Do you expect me to take unnecessary risks to satisfy sentimentality?"

"I would expect a little compassion towards someone who has basically put his life on hold so she can have a chance to live!" argued back Archer. He didn't want to anger these powerful beings, but neither was he prepared to let them rip out his best friend's heart out by turning around leaving without allowing him to see her first.

"We are grateful for your help, but … do not try to prevent me from fulfilling my duty," replied Malandria, standing in front of Captain Archer and staring back at him in an apparent battle of wills.

"We mean no harm towards you or the child," said T'Pol, trying to diffuse the tense situation. "Humans, as part of their nature, are a very emotional species. They easily form emotional attachments to other beings. What Captain Archer is trying to explain is that even though Commander Tucker didn't enter this pregnancy voluntarily, he has grown an attachment to this child as if she were his own. Like you would, Commander Tucker protected the child with his life throughout the pregnancy. He knows that you would be taking over this role once we found you, but breaking his attachment to the child abruptly would cause him serious emotional distress. We have no wish to prevent you from accomplishing your mission, we just want some time for him to say goodbye to someone he has come to care for."

Malandria considered her words for a few tense minutes. "I offer no promises," she said at last, pressed a button on a pad on her sleeve, and spoke a few unintelligible words before turning to T'Pol. "You should accompany us?"

T'Pol was visible confused by the request.

"You are his mate, are you not?" asked Malandria.

"Yes--"

"Then it is your duty to be at his side." Before Captain Archer and Malcolm could interrupt, T'Pol, Malandria and Trip were transported away.

Phlox, Archer and Reed just stood there, and looked annoyed. They weren't used to being treated like an unwanted piece of furniture that had no worth, or value.

"I don't like this or trust her one bit," said Malcolm, "and I'm not happy that she's able to transport away with two Senior Officers just like that. Once she has the child … who knows what she's going to do to them!"

"It seems like trust is called for, Lieutenant," Phlox offered, "because there is nothing else we can do."

"Exactly," stated Archer, "and that's precisely what I don't like about it."

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	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty Two

T'Pol stood off a bit to one side in the Guardian's Medical Bay, watching them remove the baby from Trip. Malandria had given the Commander several injections before the procedure, which were supposed to help with the pain afterwards and prevent any infection. T'Pol would have been more comfortable if Phlox had assisted in the operation, but the aliens hadn't allowed anyone else to accompany her. She had no choice but to trust in their sincerity about not harming Trip. Nonetheless, she kept a close eye on what they were doing, ready to jump in at any time if it became necessary to come to his defence.

Trip was lying on a bio bed stripped down to the waist and surrounded by assistants who were in the process of removing the infant. He was still unconscious from before, and according to Malandria it would be a while before he would have recovered enough to wake up. T'Pol had to remind herself that Vulcans were a very patient species, because the procedure seemed to take forever! After a while she heard the shrill cries of a newly born, and saw Malandria wrapping a small child into a blanket, before taking her away to be cleaned up and given a full medical check over. The little girl had been carried by an alien species, after all, and she had been delivered earlier than expected to.

Meanwhile the assistants sewed Trip back up, cleansed him, and at last gave him some more medication. When they were done T'Pol went up to the bio bed and sat down by Trip's side, taking his hand in hers. She remembered Phlox saying that even if patients were unconscious, they still were aware of sounds, smells, and touch. T'Pol hoped that her gesture would comfort Trip, even if it was only on a subconscious level. She hoped he would know somehow that she was there for him. The thought that Malandria might keep her threat to leave straight after the birth worried her. The situation was bound to be difficult for him, Trip would definitely going to need her help to get through this.

For an hour she sat by his side before Malandria returned, carrying a small bundle in her arms. She walked up to T'Pol and asked her: "Would you like to hold her?"

"Yes, I would like that," T'Pol replied softly. She took the child into her arms carefully, and was momentarily mesmerized by the little girl's beauty. She had shimmering golden hair, sparkling green eyes, and a silky, pale complexion that reminded her of a delicate porcelain doll she had once seen in Ensign Sato's quarters. Then T'Pol glanced at Trip. She wished he would be awake so that he could share her pleasure. Instinctively, she drew the child even closer to her chest, and then she gasped with surprise from the iridescent aura that seemed to surround the child. A strange sensation pervaded all her senses with feelings and emotions when she came into contact with the little girl.

Gazing tenderly into her serene face, T'Pol suddenly felt overwhelmed with sadness because of the memories of the last moments with her own child. Her lack of control embarrassed her but she couldn't stop her eyes from misting over. A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye and T'Pol bent down to place the child gently in the cot the Guardians had set up next to the bio bed. Just as she was about to let go, the little girl reached up with a tiny delicate hand, and placed it tenderly on the side of T'Pol's face. A strange energy seemed to jump over to T'Pol, and she jerked in surprise. Her mind was suddenly filled with the sound of a voice. "_Why are you sad?" _

"I had to live through a time of great sorrow. I lost a child, and I almost couldn't deal with the pain her loss brought forth. So I withdrew, and nearly lost another one I love because of it."

"_You still harbor fears concerning her." _

"I do not understand."

_"You are afraid of bringing another child into this world." _

"Yes," T'Pol answered in her thoughts, feeling like her very soul was bare. "I cannot bury another child," she thought, and involuntarily shivered with fear. "I can not."

_Suddenly an image appeared in her mind. At first it was blurred, as if she would see it through a fog, but after a moment, the fog dissolved, and she saw herself holding delicate, new-born baby. Trip kneeled beside her, wearing a big, goofy smile all the while tears were streaming down his face. Then she saw herself walking through her mother's courtyard on Vulcan. She was headed towards the willow tree where Trip sat cross-legged alongside a young blond haired Vulcan boy. A book entitled 'The Teachings of Surek' lay in the grass unheeded, while they played with something that looked like a toy starship. Again the image faded and was replaced by one of Trip, herself, and a young male adult. Trip had pulled them in for a huge family hug, and was patting the young man's back happily as if to congratulate him. She herself, T'Pol noticed, was trying to hide her emotions but failed miserably to suppress the urge to burst with pride for her son. The young man held a padd in his right hand that displayed the insignia of the Vulcan Diplomacy Corps'_.

T'Pol was in part shocked and in part confused by what she saw. The images touched her deep inside and stirred something in her that she couldn't name or comprehend. Then she heard the tiny voice in her mind again: i"_Cast out fear and go forward. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear."_

Everything seemed to fog over again, and then the whole room began to spin. T'Pol closed her eyes, took some deep breaths, and focused on regaining her composture. When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, she found herself standing over the child who was fast asleep in the cot. The moment was surreal. T'Pol wasn't certain whether anything had really happened or whether she had heard hallucinated, but deep down she knew that something _had_ happened. She had been given a vision of clarity, and for the first time since Elizabeth's death, T'Pol was truly at peace with herself. She turned her head and looked at Trip, drifted in thought for a long time over a future she could hold with him.

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	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty Three

3 days later

Enterprise was back on their original mission of exploration after the Guardian's ship had dropped them off light years away from the previous anomaly field. As promised, Trip and T'Pol had been dropped off unharmed; Trip back in Sickbay still unconscious after his operation and T'Pol, who for some unknown reason to Captain Archer seemed very preoccupied and lost in thought, returned back to her quarters for meditation. She didn't let on to Phlox, Archer and Reed what had happened to put her like this, only that Trip had been unconscious the whole time and he hadn't seen or held the little girl.

Captain Archer was initially furious, but he calmed down a little when T'Pol later informed him that Malandria had, in a way, kept her word. She had given T'Pol an orb, which she asked her to pass on to Trip when he'd recovered enough. The orb, encoded with his DNA, contained a personal message that would activate only for him. Malandria was sorry that they couldn't hang around to wait for his recovery but she wanted to get Selandria away from any possible danger where she could grow up learning about her heritage and her destiny. She would make sure that Selandria never forgot the kindness shown to her by Trip (who would be known to her as her father) and the other humans on _Enterprise_. Malandria hoped they would be able to meet again some time in the foreseeable future when Selandria had fulfilled her destiny and resolved the conflict on Daled V, bringing peace to the two societies. She hoped that Trip wouldn't suffer any distress caused from her actions, but if the unfortunate did happen, T'Pol would be in a position to rectify the situation.

Archer wanted to know what she meant by this, but T'Pol was unwilling to elaborate further, saying it was personal and between her and Trip only. At first he left it at that, although he wasn't happy with the situation, and Enterprise continued on with her journey, but Trip's condition soon warranted that he act further.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?" asked T'Pol, walking into the ready room.

"Yes," replied a rather dejected Archer. "It's about Trip, I'm worried about him. He seems to be getting more and more depressed since he came around and found out the child has been taken. I've tried talking to him to explain what happened but he just lies there, not talking or doing anything – just staring off into the distance. Phlox has even said that he's refusing food."

"I have noticed," answered T'Pol, "his behavior is … troubling. Considering how he managed to deal with Elizabeth's death, I'm surprised this time how much his behavior has declined."

"It's not quite the same, T'Pol," explained Archer. "Last time he had his friends to help him through it. This time I get the impression that he blames us, and I'm sorry to say, but I think he's right. We are to blame … we should have done more to stop them from just taking her away like that," he said, turning round to stare out of the window at the passing stars. "Some friends we turned out to be."

"Captain, it was unfortunate, but you had no choice," said T'Pol.

"I keep telling myself that, T'Pol, but how can I convince Trip when I can't even convince myself. In a way, I think we're just as bad as Paxton."

"You are not a murderer, Captain. Trip may have lost Selandria but at least she's alive … at least she has a future. That is more than Elizabeth was able to have," she said sadly, dealing with the rush of emotions that those memories brought forth.

"I'm sorry, T'Pol," said Archer, "this is probably just as hard for you as well.

"It is, but I was shown something that has made me see things a lot clearer and able to cope with all those negative emotions that memories of her bring forth. That's why I think now is a good time to show him the message that Malandria left."

"That's right… an orb … wasn't it? It contained a personal message encoded for Trip only?"

"Yes, I was going to wait a bit longer until he was fully recovered, but I think his current behavior warrants him viewing this now."

"Did Malandria give you a clue as to what the message was?" asked Captain Archer, worried that it might make the situation worse.

"No," replied T'Pol, clued on to what Archer was thinking, "but if it's anything like the message I saw, it will help ease the pain he's feeling at the moment and show him that there is hope for a future."

"I hope you're right, T'Pol. For Trip's sake, I hope you're right."

---------------------------------------------

After a quick diversion to her room to retrieve the orb, T'Pol then walked into sickbay where Trip was still recuperating. Phlox looked up from the side workbench where he was working when she entered.

"T'Pol, what can I do for you?"

"I have come to see Trip," she answered, walking to the far corner bio bed that was surrounded by curtains.

"He doesn't want to see any visitors at the moment," said Phlox, walking in front of him. "Even though I don't agree with this, as his doctor, I have to obey his wishes."

"That doesn't apply to me due to the nature of our relationship," replied T'Pol with a determined look in her face, as she tried to walk past. "Or are you preventing a spouse from seeing her mate also?"

"As far as I'm aware, you and Commander Tucker are not married," said Phlox, blocking her path again.

"Maybe not in the official sense, Doctor, but in my culture, the same thing applies with the nature of our relationship. If you would excuse me …" answered T'Pol, as they both stared each other down with a battle of wills. After a few minutes, Phlox nodded his head and walked away. "If my patient becomes upset, I will not hesitate to order you out of _my sickbay _…

With a nod of her head, she pulled the curtains aside and sat down beside his bed. Trip had his back towards her and he made no indication of turning around, even though she was certain he was aware of her presence.

"Trip," she said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Trip, please. I want to help. I know what you're going through right now"

"With all due respect, T'Pol, how--"

"Alone … lost … adrift in a sea of negative emotions, where you feel you are going to be swallowed up at any moment," answered T'Pol, as watched Trip slowly turned round to face her, surprised that she was willing to lay bare her soul to him. "That's how I felt after Elizabeth's and my mother's death. I didn't realize it at the time, maybe I didn't want to, but right there beside me was a rock, reaching out for me to hold on to it."

"A rock?" queried Trip.

"Yes, a very stubborn rock who refused to keep quiet and go away. Even when I explained that it's presence at the time was too painful for me to handle, it still refused to leave my side."

"Is it still there?"

"Yes, I find its company comforting to the point that I now don't ever want it to leave or go away."

"That's good ta hear."

"I'm afraid though," continued T'Pol. "I fear it's losing its solidity and starting to crumble away. So even though reaching out for the rock might cause it to lose more of its mass, I have decided to take a chance and grab hold of this object."

"You … a Vulcan … taking a chance?" questioned Trip.

"Yes, I'm going to take a firm grasp and pull it towards the safety of my bosom where it can feel safe again and needed. Where it won't feel so alone and where it will see and feel that we are one entity together."

"What if it doesn't want to be … enclosed within the safety of your … bosom?" asked Trip.

"It has never objected before," replied T'Pol with a twinkle in her eyes that finally brought a much needed smile to Trip's face.

"Thanks, T'Pol," smiled Trip clasping hold of her hand, "I needed that."

"I have something else that may put a smile on your face as well," said T'Pol, turning round to pick up the orb from where she had placed it. "This is a message given to me by Malandria."

"A message?"

"Yes, when she informed us that she intended to leave straight away after they had returned you to Enterprise to recover from your operation, the captain objected and threatened to preventing her ship from departing, despite the fact that she had threatened to destroy the ship if we tried to stop her. We convinced her to give you 'closure', so you could be spared the grief that losing Salandria would bring."

"I didn't realize that!" answered Trip, appearing to be touched at the lengths his friends had gone to for him.

"I wanted you to be fully recovered before I gave it to you."

"Do ya know what it says?" asked Trip, his curiosity coming to the forefront.

"No, it's encoded to activate to your DNA only," replied T'Pol as she handed the orb over.

Carefully, Trip picked up the orb and placed it into the palms of his hands. Peering into the object, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Mesmerized, T'Pol watched as his face mirrored different emotions as time passed. After a few minutes, he opened his very blurry and moist eyes, as he tried to gather in his emotions again.

"I apologise if I have added to your sorrow," said T'Pol, saddened by the fact that the message looked like it had made him worse.

"Ya didn't," replied Trip, putting up on a brave smile, "it was just a little overwhelming, seeing all of that." She didn't say it, but she knew that Trip could tell that she was curious about what he'd seen. "It wasn't like any message that I've seen before," he explained. "It was like page--"

"Pages turning in a book?"

"How'd ya know?"

"I have had a similar vision," answered T'Pol, as she silently encouraged him to go on.

"I saw myself holding her," explained Trip, "she was so beautiful … an then I sort of heard a voice in ma head and I don't know how, but it was her. She said she was sorry that she had to go away, that she really wanted to see and get to know me as she thought I would be a great daddy," he said, as tears started rolling down his face. "Someday she hoped that we could meet and be a real family and that she would always think of me as her daddy."

T'Pol reached out and grabbed his hand as he wiped the tears away with the other. "You know, there's a small part of me that's glad that she's gonna be alright, but there's also a huge part of me that feels angry that she's wrenched away. First Lorian, then Elizabeth and now Salandria; It feels like I'm destined to grow old by myself, and die alone a wrinkled and cranky ole man. I think that's what is making me feel so bad at the moment, that and feeling so selfish for feeling that way …"

"That isn't possible and will not happen, Trip."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Trip.

"Because a little girl told me so," answered T'Pol, with a hint of a smile. "Let me share something with you. My logical Vulcan mind informs me that nothing is certain or fact, but living with humans has taught me to 'follow my heart'."

Tenderly she placed her left hand on his face to initiate a mind meld, all the while focusing on her vision …

_Suddenly an image appeared in her mind. At first it was blurred, as if she would see it through a fog, but after a moment, the fog dissolved, and she saw herself holding delicate, new-born baby. Trip kneeled beside her, wearing a big, goofy smile all the while tears were streaming down his face. Then she saw herself walking through her mother's courtyard on Vulcan. She was headed towards the willow tree where Trip sat cross-legged alongside a young blond haired Vulcan boy--_

They sat together holding each others hand as the image and the meld faded, "let us guide each other as we try and put together our own book."

"I'd like that, T'Pol," smiled Trip as he pulled her in for a hug, "now git that bosem of your down here so I can feel warm, safe, loved and whole."

"Vulcans don't normally like physical contact," said T'Pol, as she enclosed him within her arms, "but in your case, I am willing to forgo that rule. It is only logical, I am your rock after all."

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End file.
